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U.S. Can't Launch New Attacks From Saudi Bases
Aired October 01, 2002 - 14:32 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We've been taking an in-depth look inside Saudi Arabia in a special series of reports this week.
Today, we focus on the U.S. military presence there. American personnel on Saudi soil once numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr shows us how that's changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It is from here, Prince Sultan Air Base, that U.S. war planes begin their missions over southern Iraq, watching for deadly anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles.
The air base is now the centerpiece of U.S./Saudi military relations, home to 5,000 U.S. Air Force personnel and up to 100 U.S. and coalition aircraft. Fighters conduct regular patrols in the Iraqi no fly zone, supported by AWACs and RC-135 surveillance aircraft.
But Saudi Arabia, so far, has only allowed patrols under the no fly zone rules. It has not yet given permission for the U.S. to use its territory to launch new, offensive attacks against Iraq.
Saudi Arabia could still be a vital launch pad. Prince Sultan also houses the critical air operations center, used to run the war over Afghanistan, and needed for any new Iraq action.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FMR NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: It's very important to have Saudi air space and it would be even better if we had access to those airfields.
STARR: For Pentagon war planners, the question is: How much does the U.S. need access to Saudi military bases? Can there be a war without Saudi support?
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): We can do the operation without Saudi Arabia. It would be advantageous to have Saudi Arabia, and I think once this thing starts, Saudi Arabia will change its mind and support us.
STARR: The official Saudi government position is it will support whatever resolutions are passed by the United Nations.
Senior Pentagon officials believe they will have full access to Prince Sultan and other air bases if needed. But the decades old military relationship, once unshakable, may be strained if it comes to that.
ADEL AL JUBEIR, SAUDI FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: I believe that no government in the world supports a policy of regime change anywhere. There is no sanction for it in international law. There's no basis for it.
STARR: The U.S. is prepared for alternatives. In nearby Qatar, the U.S. is expanding operations at Aloday (ph) Air Base and installing a back-up air operations center. And the U.S. central command is moving its headquarters there, temporarily for now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Now, Kyra, of course, a decade ago, during Operation Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia felt directly threatened by Iraq, and so it welcomed nearly half a million U.S. troops on to its soil.
But this time around, neither side appears to be rushing towards a new relationship -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, what about the aspect of cost, I mean, to run a war and troops? I mean, has this been a big sticking point?
STARR: Well, the Congressional Budget Office just yesterday released its new estimate on what a war could cost, and while it is an estimate, the numbers are pretty staggering.
At the high end, just sending troops and equipment over to the Gulf -- if the Pentagon decided to send a ground force with some airplanes and other equipment, about 370,000 troops -- that could cost $13 billion just to send over there. It could cost another 6 to $9 billion a month, possibly, to run the war and it could cost as much as $4 billion a month after a war is concluded to keep an occupation force inside Iraq.
So, no matter what happens, it's going to cost a lot of money and it's going to bite into the budget quite a bit, according to budget experts.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr -- Barbara Starr from the Pentagon.
Thanks, Barbara.
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 October 1, 2002 - 14:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We've been taking an in-depth look inside Saudi Arabia in a special series of reports this week.
Today, we focus on the U.S. military presence there. American personnel on Saudi soil once numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr shows us how that's changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It is from here, Prince Sultan Air Base, that U.S. war planes begin their missions over southern Iraq, watching for deadly anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles.
The air base is now the centerpiece of U.S./Saudi military relations, home to 5,000 U.S. Air Force personnel and up to 100 U.S. and coalition aircraft. Fighters conduct regular patrols in the Iraqi no fly zone, supported by AWACs and RC-135 surveillance aircraft.
But Saudi Arabia, so far, has only allowed patrols under the no fly zone rules. It has not yet given permission for the U.S. to use its territory to launch new, offensive attacks against Iraq.
Saudi Arabia could still be a vital launch pad. Prince Sultan also houses the critical air operations center, used to run the war over Afghanistan, and needed for any new Iraq action.
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), FMR NATO SUPREME COMMANDER: It's very important to have Saudi air space and it would be even better if we had access to those airfields.
STARR: For Pentagon war planners, the question is: How much does the U.S. need access to Saudi military bases? Can there be a war without Saudi support?
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): We can do the operation without Saudi Arabia. It would be advantageous to have Saudi Arabia, and I think once this thing starts, Saudi Arabia will change its mind and support us.
STARR: The official Saudi government position is it will support whatever resolutions are passed by the United Nations.
Senior Pentagon officials believe they will have full access to Prince Sultan and other air bases if needed. But the decades old military relationship, once unshakable, may be strained if it comes to that.
ADEL AL JUBEIR, SAUDI FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: I believe that no government in the world supports a policy of regime change anywhere. There is no sanction for it in international law. There's no basis for it.
STARR: The U.S. is prepared for alternatives. In nearby Qatar, the U.S. is expanding operations at Aloday (ph) Air Base and installing a back-up air operations center. And the U.S. central command is moving its headquarters there, temporarily for now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: Now, Kyra, of course, a decade ago, during Operation Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia felt directly threatened by Iraq, and so it welcomed nearly half a million U.S. troops on to its soil.
But this time around, neither side appears to be rushing towards a new relationship -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, what about the aspect of cost, I mean, to run a war and troops? I mean, has this been a big sticking point?
STARR: Well, the Congressional Budget Office just yesterday released its new estimate on what a war could cost, and while it is an estimate, the numbers are pretty staggering.
At the high end, just sending troops and equipment over to the Gulf -- if the Pentagon decided to send a ground force with some airplanes and other equipment, about 370,000 troops -- that could cost $13 billion just to send over there. It could cost another 6 to $9 billion a month, possibly, to run the war and it could cost as much as $4 billion a month after a war is concluded to keep an occupation force inside Iraq.
So, no matter what happens, it's going to cost a lot of money and it's going to bite into the budget quite a bit, according to budget experts.
PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr -- Barbara Starr from the Pentagon.
Thanks, Barbara.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com