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CNN Live Today
U.S. Forces Land in Kuwait for Training
Aired September 24, 2002 - 12:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Marines have landed in Kuwait. It's a joint training exercise, one of two planned for some time.
Joining us via videophone from Kuwait City, CNN's Martin Savidge -- Marty, what's the mission out there?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as you mentioned, this is an exercise that had been planned some time ago, but with all of the tough talk that is coming out of Washington, out of London, and out of Iraq, clearly, this is a lot of training that is going on here in Kuwait.
These are the first of what's expected to be a force of maybe 2,000 U.S. Marines taking part in an operation known as Eager Mace. They showed up in the al Shuwaikh (ph) port, which is the northern port just inside of Kuwait City here, began off-loading their equipment and getting ready for what will be a month-long joint exercise with Kuwaiti forces on Banyon Isle (ph) -- Bubiyan Island, I should say, which is a Kuwaiti island that is very close to the Iraqi border.
And then, while this exercise is getting underway, there is another long term U.S. Army exercise, that is known as Operation Desert Spring. It sort of routinely sees the ebb and flow of American soldiers, a new infusion of U.S. Army troops coming in for that exercise.
So, you begin to see that, yes, planned a long time ago, but it is certainly very convenient timing, and obviously, if there were to be the threat of military action, then U.S. commanders have ability to hold these forces here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Marty, what kind of access have you received. Have you had a chance to talk with the soldiers? Can you sell us anything about the training, and the type of training that they are doing?
SAVIDGE: Well, we have not had access to the U.S. soldiers here, have not had access to any of the exercises that are underway. The U.S. government and the Kuwaiti government both taking a very, very low profile on all of this.
The U.S. says it is out of understanding of the sensitivity for the Kuwaiti government. Obviously, it has to interrelate to the Arab world. The issue of launching an attack against Iraq is a sensitive subject here, but by having these exercises, there is sort of an ability here that both sides can sort of deny a buildup, they can both say Kuwait and the U.S., that, No, these were planned a long time ago. Yet, they are still building up forces in the region. There is plausible denial. It is flexibility that is built in. We know that they are using ground, sea, and air assets, and as always, the military -- the U.S., as you know, says you train as you fight, and you fight as you train, so these exercises, if military action came about, would be very close to the real thing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live from Kuwait only on CNN, our Martin Savidge. Thanks, Marty.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 24, 2002 - 12:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Marines have landed in Kuwait. It's a joint training exercise, one of two planned for some time.
Joining us via videophone from Kuwait City, CNN's Martin Savidge -- Marty, what's the mission out there?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as you mentioned, this is an exercise that had been planned some time ago, but with all of the tough talk that is coming out of Washington, out of London, and out of Iraq, clearly, this is a lot of training that is going on here in Kuwait.
These are the first of what's expected to be a force of maybe 2,000 U.S. Marines taking part in an operation known as Eager Mace. They showed up in the al Shuwaikh (ph) port, which is the northern port just inside of Kuwait City here, began off-loading their equipment and getting ready for what will be a month-long joint exercise with Kuwaiti forces on Banyon Isle (ph) -- Bubiyan Island, I should say, which is a Kuwaiti island that is very close to the Iraqi border.
And then, while this exercise is getting underway, there is another long term U.S. Army exercise, that is known as Operation Desert Spring. It sort of routinely sees the ebb and flow of American soldiers, a new infusion of U.S. Army troops coming in for that exercise.
So, you begin to see that, yes, planned a long time ago, but it is certainly very convenient timing, and obviously, if there were to be the threat of military action, then U.S. commanders have ability to hold these forces here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Marty, what kind of access have you received. Have you had a chance to talk with the soldiers? Can you sell us anything about the training, and the type of training that they are doing?
SAVIDGE: Well, we have not had access to the U.S. soldiers here, have not had access to any of the exercises that are underway. The U.S. government and the Kuwaiti government both taking a very, very low profile on all of this.
The U.S. says it is out of understanding of the sensitivity for the Kuwaiti government. Obviously, it has to interrelate to the Arab world. The issue of launching an attack against Iraq is a sensitive subject here, but by having these exercises, there is sort of an ability here that both sides can sort of deny a buildup, they can both say Kuwait and the U.S., that, No, these were planned a long time ago. Yet, they are still building up forces in the region. There is plausible denial. It is flexibility that is built in. We know that they are using ground, sea, and air assets, and as always, the military -- the U.S., as you know, says you train as you fight, and you fight as you train, so these exercises, if military action came about, would be very close to the real thing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live from Kuwait only on CNN, our Martin Savidge. Thanks, Marty.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
