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CNN Live At Daybreak
The Brink of War: Pentagon Reaction
Aired March 18, 2003 - 05:41 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon, of course, is watching Saddam Hussein and his troops very closely as war looms.
CNN's Chris Plante joins us live from the Pentagon with some new information this morning.
What do you have for us?
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well that's right, Carol, we got word last night that Republican Guard units in Baghdad and surrounding areas were leaving their garrisons and heading out into the field to dig in for what they're anticipating, several days of severe aerial bombardment, followed by a ground campaign. And I'm told by a well-placed U.S. official that they've also picked up some intelligence while eavesdropping on Iraqi military radio traffic, units talking back and forth to one another, that there is not a good deal of enthusiasm, even in the Baghdad area, even with some of the Republican Guard units, for the idea of having to go to war again.
Now these officials don't want to be overly optimistic. They're not suggesting that they're going to fold up their tent and give up as the U.S. comes in. But they're optimistic that there will be a large number of surrenders, as we just heard, certainly in the south from troops there who are not at all enthusiastic about what's coming. But it's good news to hear that from the U.S. perspective that some of the Republican Guard units are also expressing a good deal of consternation was one of the terms that this official used.
COSTELLO: What...
PLANTE: I'm sorry, go ahead.
COSTELLO: I was just going to say, with that in mind, Chris, what is the strategy for the U.S. military from your standpoint from the Pentagon?
PLANTE: Well the opening salvo is what has been described as shock and awe. They're expecting an armada of approximately 1,000 U.S. warplanes to converge on Iraq from five aircraft carriers, from air bases ranging from Great Britain to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. There would be coordinated ground efforts as the air campaign is going on to secure specific targets, areas. Try to secure the oil fields in the north and in the south try to secure certain other important bits of infrastructure, dams in the south and so on in addition to the usual targets.
There's also some intelligence that indicates that Iraqi troops in the south, west of Basra, have rigged oil wells in that area. There's a vast oil field west of Basra in southern Iraq that Iraqi troops have already rigged a large number of oil wells there to destroy them when the attack begins -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Of course we're all hoping that does not happen, but perhaps it will. We'll keep our eye on it.
Chris Plante, reporting live from the Pentagon this morning, thanks so much.
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 18, 2003 - 05:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon, of course, is watching Saddam Hussein and his troops very closely as war looms.
CNN's Chris Plante joins us live from the Pentagon with some new information this morning.
What do you have for us?
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well that's right, Carol, we got word last night that Republican Guard units in Baghdad and surrounding areas were leaving their garrisons and heading out into the field to dig in for what they're anticipating, several days of severe aerial bombardment, followed by a ground campaign. And I'm told by a well-placed U.S. official that they've also picked up some intelligence while eavesdropping on Iraqi military radio traffic, units talking back and forth to one another, that there is not a good deal of enthusiasm, even in the Baghdad area, even with some of the Republican Guard units, for the idea of having to go to war again.
Now these officials don't want to be overly optimistic. They're not suggesting that they're going to fold up their tent and give up as the U.S. comes in. But they're optimistic that there will be a large number of surrenders, as we just heard, certainly in the south from troops there who are not at all enthusiastic about what's coming. But it's good news to hear that from the U.S. perspective that some of the Republican Guard units are also expressing a good deal of consternation was one of the terms that this official used.
COSTELLO: What...
PLANTE: I'm sorry, go ahead.
COSTELLO: I was just going to say, with that in mind, Chris, what is the strategy for the U.S. military from your standpoint from the Pentagon?
PLANTE: Well the opening salvo is what has been described as shock and awe. They're expecting an armada of approximately 1,000 U.S. warplanes to converge on Iraq from five aircraft carriers, from air bases ranging from Great Britain to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. There would be coordinated ground efforts as the air campaign is going on to secure specific targets, areas. Try to secure the oil fields in the north and in the south try to secure certain other important bits of infrastructure, dams in the south and so on in addition to the usual targets.
There's also some intelligence that indicates that Iraqi troops in the south, west of Basra, have rigged oil wells in that area. There's a vast oil field west of Basra in southern Iraq that Iraqi troops have already rigged a large number of oil wells there to destroy them when the attack begins -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Of course we're all hoping that does not happen, but perhaps it will. We'll keep our eye on it.
Chris Plante, reporting live from the Pentagon this morning, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
