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American Morning
U.S. Military Poised to Strike
Aired March 06, 2003 - 07:10 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: That diplomatic wrangling over Iraq continues. Tommy Franks yesterday, head of Central Command, says the military, as Paula just mentioned, is ready to go, ready to go now if given the order from the White House.
To the Pentagon this morning and Barbara Starr for more on this.
Barbara -- hello.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill -- good morning.
Very busy here. Look for a lot of activity in the next few days, as the U.S. military makes the final decisions to put its assets into place to be within specific striking ranges of Iraq.
Now, what's on the table this morning is what to do about those two aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean -- the Truman and the Roosevelt. Now, on the table is the possibility that very shortly, they will move into the Red Sea, so they can launch strikes against Iraq by flying across Saudi Arabia.
But another option is now emerging, possibly to leave them back in the eastern Mediterranean and look for overflight rights over Israel and Jordan, as you see there, and come in over western Iraq directly.
We should be finding out what will happen in the next several days. Those carriers will be very visible, of course, if they start to move into the Red Sea.
As you'll remember, those ships of the 4th Infantry Division are also sitting in the eastern Mediterranean with their equipment. Well, we have now learned that the Pentagon has begun the diplomatic paperwork to move those ships out of the eastern Mediterranean into the Red Sea around into Kuwait, but that will, of course, take some time. Those forces now not expected to play directly in the opening hours and days of any campaign.
In terms of what they will do for the northern front, it's the understanding now they have decided to go with a lighter infantry-type option, either airborne, air assault, elements of the 82nd, possibly some elements of the 101st dropping into northern Iraq.
But the 101st Airborne Division now has been earmarked for very special tasks. They will assist in guarding oil fields and weapons of mass destruction facilities, other sensitive sites in Iraq. The final sign that things are beginning to move into place, well, sorties or missions over southern Iraq have increased dramatically, tripled in the last several days. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are now flying about 700 missions a day. Again, that's a tripling over southern Iraq and over that region. These are both fighter missions, reconnaissance missions, fueling missions. All of this because the Iraqis, of course, are moving things into place in the southern no-fly zone, but also very importantly to give air crews a chance to train over southern Iraq before there is war -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara, in 10 seconds here, that first point you made. How long does it take to move two large aircraft carriers through the eastern Mediterranean down to the Suez Canal and reposition them in the Red Sea?
STARR: That should not take very long. That is something that could be accomplished within a matter of days.
But let me add one thing. All of this really does tie together. There's a lot of concern here right now about the Iraqis moving these weapon systems around into areas.
We should tell you that last night, for example, there was a strike in the southern no-fly zone 240 miles west of Baghdad, but that was just 30 miles from the Jordanian border. The Iraqis had moved a surface-to-air missile launcher that close to Jordan. It was the second time in two weeks the Iraqis had moved a weapon system close to the Jordanian border; that the U.S. had had to go out and strike it. So, a lot of concern that the Iraqis are on the move as well -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning.
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 March 6, 2003 - 07:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: That diplomatic wrangling over Iraq continues. Tommy Franks yesterday, head of Central Command, says the military, as Paula just mentioned, is ready to go, ready to go now if given the order from the White House.
To the Pentagon this morning and Barbara Starr for more on this.
Barbara -- hello.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill -- good morning.
Very busy here. Look for a lot of activity in the next few days, as the U.S. military makes the final decisions to put its assets into place to be within specific striking ranges of Iraq.
Now, what's on the table this morning is what to do about those two aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean -- the Truman and the Roosevelt. Now, on the table is the possibility that very shortly, they will move into the Red Sea, so they can launch strikes against Iraq by flying across Saudi Arabia.
But another option is now emerging, possibly to leave them back in the eastern Mediterranean and look for overflight rights over Israel and Jordan, as you see there, and come in over western Iraq directly.
We should be finding out what will happen in the next several days. Those carriers will be very visible, of course, if they start to move into the Red Sea.
As you'll remember, those ships of the 4th Infantry Division are also sitting in the eastern Mediterranean with their equipment. Well, we have now learned that the Pentagon has begun the diplomatic paperwork to move those ships out of the eastern Mediterranean into the Red Sea around into Kuwait, but that will, of course, take some time. Those forces now not expected to play directly in the opening hours and days of any campaign.
In terms of what they will do for the northern front, it's the understanding now they have decided to go with a lighter infantry-type option, either airborne, air assault, elements of the 82nd, possibly some elements of the 101st dropping into northern Iraq.
But the 101st Airborne Division now has been earmarked for very special tasks. They will assist in guarding oil fields and weapons of mass destruction facilities, other sensitive sites in Iraq. The final sign that things are beginning to move into place, well, sorties or missions over southern Iraq have increased dramatically, tripled in the last several days. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are now flying about 700 missions a day. Again, that's a tripling over southern Iraq and over that region. These are both fighter missions, reconnaissance missions, fueling missions. All of this because the Iraqis, of course, are moving things into place in the southern no-fly zone, but also very importantly to give air crews a chance to train over southern Iraq before there is war -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara, in 10 seconds here, that first point you made. How long does it take to move two large aircraft carriers through the eastern Mediterranean down to the Suez Canal and reposition them in the Red Sea?
STARR: That should not take very long. That is something that could be accomplished within a matter of days.
But let me add one thing. All of this really does tie together. There's a lot of concern here right now about the Iraqis moving these weapon systems around into areas.
We should tell you that last night, for example, there was a strike in the southern no-fly zone 240 miles west of Baghdad, but that was just 30 miles from the Jordanian border. The Iraqis had moved a surface-to-air missile launcher that close to Jordan. It was the second time in two weeks the Iraqis had moved a weapon system close to the Jordanian border; that the U.S. had had to go out and strike it. So, a lot of concern that the Iraqis are on the move as well -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
