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CNN Live At Daybreak
America's New War: Contents of President's Speech
Aired September 20, 2001 - 07:59 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.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESP.: The president has many challenges tonight. One, he wants to explain to the American people this military deployment they see underway.
Number two, we're told the president will promise that he and the Congress are working in a bipartisan spirit, not only on this military campaign and the diplomatic and financial campaign against terrorism, but also to take dramatic urgent steps to get the economy going beginning with the plan to bail out the airline industry.
But most of all, we have seen in the past 24 hours the beginning of the military buildup. That the American people need an explanation for, the White House tells us. And for more on the details of that, let's bring in CNN's Bob Franken standing by over at the Pentagon -- Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, it's all really part of a massive signal, of course, to those who might doubt the United States' resolve in this matter. Their massive signal now includes flotilla that is on the sea and another one that is in the air.
It includes jet aircraft, jet fighters, the F-15Es and the F-16s -- the planes that normally are used to enforce the no-fly zone in Iraq, and there is a contingent of them over there doing that. These will supplement -- that meaning that from that region there will be plenty of planes to continue to do that chore, plus to participate in whatever military action there is.
Now, there is also a large group of other planes that are involved, some of them quite significant. Most notably, the B-52s that are going to be stationed in Diego Garcia, which is just off the tip of India, a British protectorate and, of course, a great place for a strike if the United States decides to use it.
What's notable about the B-52 is its ability to fire cruise missiles. And you have the AUX (ph) planes. Those are those high- tech planes with just about every kind of sophisticated spying device in the world on one airplane, radar, et cetera, computerized stuff we don't even know about. It will be flying around, of course, looking at the area, spotting the best opportunities if, in fact, the opportunities are needed. You have the support aircraft, most notably the refueling aircraft. They can construct what amounts to an airborne bridge from the United States all the way over to whatever region for refueling, in effect, flying gas stations. So all of that is being put in place, along with the ships. The Roosevelt left Norfolk yesterday. The aircraft carrier, Teddy Roosevelt, with its battle group of 13 other ships and its 25,000 military people on board and 2,000 aircraft, including attack helicopters, including its own set of jets, et cetera, et cetera. The type of thing you see. There are 5,000, in fact, aboard the Roosevelt itself. There is also a contingent of 2,000 Marines, which accompanies this group.
There is talk that the military action that is being contemplated is a combination of surgical commando strikes and some sort of special-forces unit, along with significant air cover. And the plan, one of them that's being discussed, I have heard from Pentagon sources, that the commandos would be used to flush out the hidden guerrillas who would then be "finished" -- to use the word that he used -- by aircraft bombers and the jets, that type of planning.
But they say they're not giving away operational details, but at the same time, they make sure that the public knows about these massive deployments. And, John, as you know, that is to send a signal to the rest of the world.
KING: But, Bob, we have seen these massive deployments, to use your word, of the conventional forces -- aircraft carrier groups, F- 15s, F-16s, B-1 bombers. You just noted, though, possibly a very critical role here for special forces -- commandos, elite infantry troops.
Any word at all from the Pentagon on deployments or specific possible roles for those forces?
FRANKEN: No. There is no word whatsoever. And, of course, that is part of the nature of these commando units. They operate in secrecy. They are, in effect, guerilla forces, and I can tell you the last thing we will hear about is their deployment or exactly what they are going to do. We do know that they are being contemplated, and that this massive deployment of the conventional forces is there to offer, in effect, support for them.
KING: All right. CNN's Bob Franken standing by at the Pentagon -- thank you.
Now, back to Paula Zahn in New York, who has a guest who might be able to help us explain all of this.
ZAHN: Yes, I don't know about you, John, but I'll tell you, when you try to decipher these reports coming out of Afghanistan, it is very confusing, particularly when you look at all of the different interpretations of the statements that have been made by the Taliban.
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