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CNN Live Today

Military Perspective on Potential War With Iraq

Aired February 13, 2003 - 10:12   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead now and get some perspective. For that, we turn to retired Brigadier General David Grange, who also serves as a CNN military analyst. He's joining us this morning from Chicago.
Good morning to you, sir.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Good morning.

COLLINS: I want to go ahead and first talk about this Iraqi missile and its operational range; obviously much longer than the United Nations allows. First, what do you make of it? And also, the fact that the payload and the guidance system are not attached. Is it possible that without those, that's why it goes as far as it does? Maybe making it heavier once those systems are attached, is that a possibility?

GRANGE: Well, that's a possibility. I think the real issue, Heidi, is that these are missiles that Saddam's cronies wanted everybody to see. There's much more stuff out there to include other missiles. He's in violation even with these. He's in violation, I believe, from other reports, with other missiles and war-fighting material.

And so, it just goes on and on. It's just a typical show-a- little-bit, take-a-little-bit biding time. It's just his denial and deception program at its finest.

COLLINS: So, does this step up the game then as far as hastening the pace?

GRANGE: Well, it steps up -- well, sure. It steps up the game, because it's just more stuff that we have seen added to the violations. But there are so many other things that there's already evidence that he has not come forth with obligations of, OK, I've destroyed it, OK, here it is, that it just -- again it just reinforces the game that he's playing. And it's just his tactics working Europe, working the U.N. and others to bide time.

COLLINS: Let's talk now about NATO, if we could -- France, Germany, Belgium blocking the Turkey initiative. They say they don't want to move straight to a military plan, because this isn't what they see as their goal. What do you make of that?

GRANGE: Well, it's not their goal, because they have national interests to keep Saddam in power, to some extent, because of some economic business reasons and others. The other is that they're very envious of the United States and Great Britain of flaunting the power that we can do something about it. And at this point, France and Germany could not do that themselves.

So, there's a little bit of a power struggle geo-politically here within NATO, and I think it's a disgrace that Germany and France came off this hard about an ally like Turkey, to use that as a game because they don't agree using force, let's say in Iraq, which totally, just again, discredits the purpose of NATO. And it's just a shame that it's happening.

COLLINS: So, you do agree it is playing some politics here, obviously.

GRANGE: Oh, absolutely.

COLLINS: All right, let's move on now with troop deployments. We kind of want to get an update from you. We know about 38,000 more Reservists were called in. We've got some movement, of course, today. Where are we at now?

GRANGE: Well, you know, I think on Reserve, and National Guard activations of all services, it's -- you know, it's above 100,000, up around 114,000, 116,000, something like that I believe. But the significant factor here is two. One is that many of these Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Reservists and National Guardsmen are going overseas to fill shortages on certain types of specialties that the active service does not have, or they're going overseas on the basis to provide a void left -- a vacuum left by active service personnel, or they're in homeland defense positions to help protect the United States against terrorism or any repercussions from an attack on Iraq.

So, it just shows you that the total military is involved in this thing, from the citizen soldier to those that work 365 days a year for their nation. And if you don't have that whole package, you cannot do the things that the nation has asked the military to do today.

COLLINS: Specifically, what about the 101st Airborne Division? When we hear that they're going in, what does that mean? I mean, these guys don't mess around. Does that mean we're that much closer to a possible war?

GRANGE: Well, I think what it means, Heidi, is that none of these units -- they're all great units. There's very few today left. For instance, in the Army, there are only 10 divisions. They're all great units. The 101st, what it brings to the table is maximum flexibility to go deep into enemy territory, to cut off enemy forces, to seize bridges or airfields, to do linkup with the heavier ground forces, like the 3rd Infantry Division or the Marines. And so, it really gives a lot of fire power, a lot of flexibility to the force on any targets in the area.

COLLINS: All right, retired Brigadier General David Grange, we thank you for your insight this morning.

GRANGE: My pleasure.

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 February 13, 2003 - 10:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead now and get some perspective. For that, we turn to retired Brigadier General David Grange, who also serves as a CNN military analyst. He's joining us this morning from Chicago.
Good morning to you, sir.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Good morning.

COLLINS: I want to go ahead and first talk about this Iraqi missile and its operational range; obviously much longer than the United Nations allows. First, what do you make of it? And also, the fact that the payload and the guidance system are not attached. Is it possible that without those, that's why it goes as far as it does? Maybe making it heavier once those systems are attached, is that a possibility?

GRANGE: Well, that's a possibility. I think the real issue, Heidi, is that these are missiles that Saddam's cronies wanted everybody to see. There's much more stuff out there to include other missiles. He's in violation even with these. He's in violation, I believe, from other reports, with other missiles and war-fighting material.

And so, it just goes on and on. It's just a typical show-a- little-bit, take-a-little-bit biding time. It's just his denial and deception program at its finest.

COLLINS: So, does this step up the game then as far as hastening the pace?

GRANGE: Well, it steps up -- well, sure. It steps up the game, because it's just more stuff that we have seen added to the violations. But there are so many other things that there's already evidence that he has not come forth with obligations of, OK, I've destroyed it, OK, here it is, that it just -- again it just reinforces the game that he's playing. And it's just his tactics working Europe, working the U.N. and others to bide time.

COLLINS: Let's talk now about NATO, if we could -- France, Germany, Belgium blocking the Turkey initiative. They say they don't want to move straight to a military plan, because this isn't what they see as their goal. What do you make of that?

GRANGE: Well, it's not their goal, because they have national interests to keep Saddam in power, to some extent, because of some economic business reasons and others. The other is that they're very envious of the United States and Great Britain of flaunting the power that we can do something about it. And at this point, France and Germany could not do that themselves.

So, there's a little bit of a power struggle geo-politically here within NATO, and I think it's a disgrace that Germany and France came off this hard about an ally like Turkey, to use that as a game because they don't agree using force, let's say in Iraq, which totally, just again, discredits the purpose of NATO. And it's just a shame that it's happening.

COLLINS: So, you do agree it is playing some politics here, obviously.

GRANGE: Oh, absolutely.

COLLINS: All right, let's move on now with troop deployments. We kind of want to get an update from you. We know about 38,000 more Reservists were called in. We've got some movement, of course, today. Where are we at now?

GRANGE: Well, you know, I think on Reserve, and National Guard activations of all services, it's -- you know, it's above 100,000, up around 114,000, 116,000, something like that I believe. But the significant factor here is two. One is that many of these Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Reservists and National Guardsmen are going overseas to fill shortages on certain types of specialties that the active service does not have, or they're going overseas on the basis to provide a void left -- a vacuum left by active service personnel, or they're in homeland defense positions to help protect the United States against terrorism or any repercussions from an attack on Iraq.

So, it just shows you that the total military is involved in this thing, from the citizen soldier to those that work 365 days a year for their nation. And if you don't have that whole package, you cannot do the things that the nation has asked the military to do today.

COLLINS: Specifically, what about the 101st Airborne Division? When we hear that they're going in, what does that mean? I mean, these guys don't mess around. Does that mean we're that much closer to a possible war?

GRANGE: Well, I think what it means, Heidi, is that none of these units -- they're all great units. There's very few today left. For instance, in the Army, there are only 10 divisions. They're all great units. The 101st, what it brings to the table is maximum flexibility to go deep into enemy territory, to cut off enemy forces, to seize bridges or airfields, to do linkup with the heavier ground forces, like the 3rd Infantry Division or the Marines. And so, it really gives a lot of fire power, a lot of flexibility to the force on any targets in the area.

COLLINS: All right, retired Brigadier General David Grange, we thank you for your insight this morning.

GRANGE: My pleasure.

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