European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Desert to expand s s troops of the 82nd airborne div disembark at an air base in saudi Arabia As part of americans massive desert shield deployment a by Charles w. Corddry Baltimore Sun the . Military buildup in and around saudi Arabia is expected to level off at somewhat More than 150,000 men and women a about 21/2 times its present. Strength a in another 30 to 45 Days. A highly diversified and modern Force rapidly forming on the saudi desert and adjacent Waters is composed of Mobile land combat units warships bristling with guns and missiles and the awesome air Power that commanders would mainly rely on to defeat Iraq if War came. There already Are about 500 american warplanes in the Region ranging from b-52 bombers to tank busting a-10 attack planes a a Force for breaking up an attack if it comes and for delivering devastating strikes on Iraq if president Rush orders them. British and saudi units have about 160 additional planes. More aircraft Are he route with the marines and Navy. And deployment of elements of the army s 2nd army div from fort Hood Texas to bolster the mechanized and helicopter borne desert ground Force defences May be announced soon. The buildup is a by no Means Complete Quot Secretary of defense Dick Cheney said in a television interview thursday. He cited As a reason for continuing expansion the presence of an estimated 10 iraqi. Combat divisions with 1,000 tanks close to saudi Arabia. After it reaches 150,000 plus the Force could expand somewhat further As Gen. Norman h. Schwarzkopf the . Commander finds specific needs for specialized personnel not included in original lists military sources pointed out. But they said that previously published estimates of a buildup to 200,000 to 250,000 men and women look too High at this Point. They stressed what they regard As a quite significant array of forces being mounted in and around the arabian Peninsula by other countries. A full fledged conflict of course could change calculations. To reach the higher Levels of . Manpower probably would take an additional month military observers say that the formidable air land and sea forces being deployed in saudi Arabia and nearby Are net sized for waging a big ground War if a conflict erupt for example Ernest Graves a retired army 500 . Military planes Are already in the Gulf area lieutenant general who is at the Center for strategic and International studies in Washington. D c., said a a it a the air forces that Are certainly the land elements Quot Are not sized for an offensive,1 he said. Besides defending saudi Arabia the whole array of Power seems intended to ensure that iraqi president Saddam Hussein a a does not break out of the sanctions imposed by the United nations he said. This View is generally echoed privately in the. Pentagon and by retired former members of the . Military command. But there is Clear evidence that defense planners in implementing and interpreting Bush a directives for defending saudi Arabia Are mounting a Force hat could carry the War to Baghdad a chiefly by air a if the president so decided. Gen. Colin l. Powell chairman of the joint chiefs of staff seeing off a Marine expeditionary Force at Morehead City and repeated that the United states was sending More than enough Power to Deal with whatever Iraq could attempt. As he put it Bush had told the Pentagon to Apter further iraqi action and defend saudi Arabia a and the one thing i be Learned Over the years Quot Powell said is that you put in the necessary Force to Deal with she enemy s capabilities and that s what we Are Dong Hussein can be sure that the . Force Quot will be More than adequate More than adequate Quot he said. When Bush decided what to do and Cheney coordinated operations with saudi arabian leaders Powell s staff turned quickly to its computerized list of .-based ready military forces and called on Schwarzkopf for an operations plan. The list known As the Quot time phased Force deployment list Quot tells what forces Are in what condition where and How swiftly they can be ready and moved by air and sea. With this in hand and an assessment of iraqi forces Given by intelligence agencies and plans formulated priorities were set and the Gigantic movement to the arabian Peninsula began. First priority went to air Power. Much was present aboard two aircraft carriers and two More carriers were sent. The air Force dispatched f-15 interceptors at once followed by f-16s and a tos for ground support. 0-52s were deployed on Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean. From Nevada 26 f-117a radar evading stealth fighters were deployed. Simultaneously ground units with uniquely suitable capabilities began to move by air first were elements of the 82nd airborne div equipped with anti tank missiles and trained for taking and defending airfields. Then heavier units began to deploy a elements of the 101st airborne div which fights in missile armed helicopters and the 24th inf div Mech which employs both infantry fighting vehicles and tanks. Marines began to move out a thousands flying from the West coast of the United states and Hawaii to the crisis area to join up with equipment aboard pre positioned ships and thousands More sailing with full equipment including three ships loaded with helicopters and harrier jump Jet aircraft from the East coast. An estimated 50,000 marines eventually will be in saudi Arabia and nearby Waters. A some marines already Are deployed close to the Kuwait Border. If the iraqis attacked said Bernard Trainor a retired Marine lieutenant general who is director of Harvard s National Security program their forces would have to move in a fairly narrow Channel along he Gulf coast. Marines would a hold them by the Throat Quot while the 101 St and 24th banged at their flanks he said. And he wryly remarked in would come the air Power m such mass that planes would have trouble getting Cut of each Ether s Way. The iraqis a Don t know what it s like Quot to be under a a it r no i air sir Trainor observed Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes saturday August 25, 1990
