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CNN Live At Daybreak

Covert Training

Aired November 15, 2002 - 06:35   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.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. military is preparing just in case Iraq does not cooperate with the weapons inspectors.
Let's go to Kuwait City now. Our Kyra Phillips has an exclusive report about some special training exercises. She's joining us by videophone.

Hello -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Catherine.

Yes, if a war with Iraq has to happen, yes, there will be air strikes, yes, there will be huge force, not only by land and air, but also from the sea. And that's where naval special warfare finds its comfort zone within the combat zone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): God, country and fast boats; speed, stealth and surprise -- two mantras from Navy men with one mission: combat readiness for sea, air and land.

You're witnessing naval special warfare, from the rib boats to the Mark-5 Special Operations craft.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a very low rate, our signature. We can maneuver extremely well. We can get in and out of places virtually undetected.

PHILLIPS: Navy SEALS and combatant crewmen, training together for a potential war against Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very small. We're elite. We're a tight-knit unit, and we can do the kinds of things that others just simply can't.

PHILLIPS: For reasons of military security, we cannot identify these men. We can't even tell you where we are, but we can show you how these unique warriors train for the nature of their battlefield, the Persian Gulf.

(on camera): The perfect-case scenario with any SEALS mission is to get in and out of an area without being seen or heard. But in a high-threat situation, these men say anything is possible with enemy forces, so weapons proficiency is paramount.

(voice-over): Firing 50-caliber machine guns and grenade launchers, not easy at sea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Primarily being able to maintain a beat on a target, as you're trying to manually compensate for the pitch and the roll of the small craft. It's both a science and an art form.

PHILLIPS: But marksmanship is just one tool in the Special Operations arsenal. These frogmen say their real weapon here is stealth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a basic pistol belt; get the pistol in the holster, put a little flashlight in here. This is for spare pistol mags. This is a weapons cache for a primary weapon. Move that off to the side and keep it out of the way.

PHILLIPS: Prepared for close quarter battle, SEALS depend on the Zodiac, moving them to and from any clandestine operation quickly from underwater recon to demolition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's small. It's hard to detect. You can fit a lot of guys, a lot of gear on it. If something happens to it underway, while we're out working, we can actually repair it while we're out to sea.

PHILLIPS: Out to sea training for every eventuality, day and night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me a holler when you're ready to come up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At a moment's notice, whenever the call comes, we are ready, trained, prepared and rehearsed to perform our role, whatever that role may be.

PHILLIPS: A role these men are confident will make a real difference in any conflict with Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, the assets and abilities don't stop there, Catherine. These men and Special Forces are also underwater navigators, combat divers, parachutists and expert swimmers. They also conduct advance surveillance, figuring out the location, route and activity of enemy forces -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you, Kyra -- that's Kyra Phillips in Kuwait City.

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 November 15, 2002 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. military is preparing just in case Iraq does not cooperate with the weapons inspectors.
Let's go to Kuwait City now. Our Kyra Phillips has an exclusive report about some special training exercises. She's joining us by videophone.

Hello -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Catherine.

Yes, if a war with Iraq has to happen, yes, there will be air strikes, yes, there will be huge force, not only by land and air, but also from the sea. And that's where naval special warfare finds its comfort zone within the combat zone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): God, country and fast boats; speed, stealth and surprise -- two mantras from Navy men with one mission: combat readiness for sea, air and land.

You're witnessing naval special warfare, from the rib boats to the Mark-5 Special Operations craft.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a very low rate, our signature. We can maneuver extremely well. We can get in and out of places virtually undetected.

PHILLIPS: Navy SEALS and combatant crewmen, training together for a potential war against Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very small. We're elite. We're a tight-knit unit, and we can do the kinds of things that others just simply can't.

PHILLIPS: For reasons of military security, we cannot identify these men. We can't even tell you where we are, but we can show you how these unique warriors train for the nature of their battlefield, the Persian Gulf.

(on camera): The perfect-case scenario with any SEALS mission is to get in and out of an area without being seen or heard. But in a high-threat situation, these men say anything is possible with enemy forces, so weapons proficiency is paramount.

(voice-over): Firing 50-caliber machine guns and grenade launchers, not easy at sea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Primarily being able to maintain a beat on a target, as you're trying to manually compensate for the pitch and the roll of the small craft. It's both a science and an art form.

PHILLIPS: But marksmanship is just one tool in the Special Operations arsenal. These frogmen say their real weapon here is stealth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a basic pistol belt; get the pistol in the holster, put a little flashlight in here. This is for spare pistol mags. This is a weapons cache for a primary weapon. Move that off to the side and keep it out of the way.

PHILLIPS: Prepared for close quarter battle, SEALS depend on the Zodiac, moving them to and from any clandestine operation quickly from underwater recon to demolition.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's small. It's hard to detect. You can fit a lot of guys, a lot of gear on it. If something happens to it underway, while we're out working, we can actually repair it while we're out to sea.

PHILLIPS: Out to sea training for every eventuality, day and night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me a holler when you're ready to come up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At a moment's notice, whenever the call comes, we are ready, trained, prepared and rehearsed to perform our role, whatever that role may be.

PHILLIPS: A role these men are confident will make a real difference in any conflict with Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, the assets and abilities don't stop there, Catherine. These men and Special Forces are also underwater navigators, combat divers, parachutists and expert swimmers. They also conduct advance surveillance, figuring out the location, route and activity of enemy forces -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you, Kyra -- that's Kyra Phillips in Kuwait City.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.