Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Pentagon Has War Plans for Invasion of Iraq in Place
Aired November 10, 2002 - 09:00 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: Turning now to Iraq. The new U.N. resolution gives Baghdad one last chance for peace. But it comes under a U.S. threat of war, if Iraq does not disarm. The Pentagon has a war plan in place, and CNN's Frank Buckley joins us now from the White House with more on that. Hi, Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. A war plan is in place, but President Bush is said that war would be his last choice. However, if military action was required, the president has said that the U.S. would act "with friends," as he put it, and move in swiftly with the required force. The current war plan calls for some 200,000 to 250,000 U.S. military personnel -- soldiers, troops, sailors, airmen -- into the military theater. Currently some 27,000 military personnel are in the Persian Gulf region. There will be a call-up of 265,000 National Guard and reserve soldiers. Many would be deployed to homeland security posts.
The president says the first goal of action would be to get Iraq to disclose and destroy weapons of mass destruction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The full disarmament of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq will occur. The only question for the Iraqi regime is to decide how. The United States prefers that Iraq meet its obligations voluntarily, yet we are prepared for the alternative. In either case, the just demands of the world will be met.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: The Security Council vote on Friday was a unanimous 15- 0. Syria was the last nation to weigh in with a yes vote. That word coming just as John Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was heading into the Security Council chamber. A senior administration official telling us that Negroponte, as he was walking down the corridor towards the Security Council chamber, called Secretary of State Colin Powell on his cell phone to say that the U.S. was going to be getting the 15th and unanimous vote yes, coming from Syria -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Frank, let me just ask you about terror attacks here in the U.S. after this possible war. I know that there are going to be more National Guards and reservists being called up to duty.
BUCKLEY: Well, that is certainly what the U.S. plans to do to protect the homeland, to put extra National Guard and reserve troops in place. As you know, the president has also called on the lame-duck Congress that's coming into session on Tuesday to pass the bill calling for a Department of Homeland Security.
One of the arguments has been from critics that if in fact the U.S. attacks Iraq that Iraq might unleash some sort of terrorist attacks here within the U.S. The president talking about that this week during a news conference, in which he said that actually it's more dangerous not to act, that there is actually a greater likelihood of peace if the U.S. acts and acts to disarm Iraq now.
COLLINS: All right, Frank Buckley, coming to us from Washington this morning. Thank you.
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 November 10, 2002 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Iraq. The new U.N. resolution gives Baghdad one last chance for peace. But it comes under a U.S. threat of war, if Iraq does not disarm. The Pentagon has a war plan in place, and CNN's Frank Buckley joins us now from the White House with more on that. Hi, Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. A war plan is in place, but President Bush is said that war would be his last choice. However, if military action was required, the president has said that the U.S. would act "with friends," as he put it, and move in swiftly with the required force. The current war plan calls for some 200,000 to 250,000 U.S. military personnel -- soldiers, troops, sailors, airmen -- into the military theater. Currently some 27,000 military personnel are in the Persian Gulf region. There will be a call-up of 265,000 National Guard and reserve soldiers. Many would be deployed to homeland security posts.
The president says the first goal of action would be to get Iraq to disclose and destroy weapons of mass destruction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The full disarmament of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq will occur. The only question for the Iraqi regime is to decide how. The United States prefers that Iraq meet its obligations voluntarily, yet we are prepared for the alternative. In either case, the just demands of the world will be met.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BUCKLEY: The Security Council vote on Friday was a unanimous 15- 0. Syria was the last nation to weigh in with a yes vote. That word coming just as John Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was heading into the Security Council chamber. A senior administration official telling us that Negroponte, as he was walking down the corridor towards the Security Council chamber, called Secretary of State Colin Powell on his cell phone to say that the U.S. was going to be getting the 15th and unanimous vote yes, coming from Syria -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Frank, let me just ask you about terror attacks here in the U.S. after this possible war. I know that there are going to be more National Guards and reservists being called up to duty.
BUCKLEY: Well, that is certainly what the U.S. plans to do to protect the homeland, to put extra National Guard and reserve troops in place. As you know, the president has also called on the lame-duck Congress that's coming into session on Tuesday to pass the bill calling for a Department of Homeland Security.
One of the arguments has been from critics that if in fact the U.S. attacks Iraq that Iraq might unleash some sort of terrorist attacks here within the U.S. The president talking about that this week during a news conference, in which he said that actually it's more dangerous not to act, that there is actually a greater likelihood of peace if the U.S. acts and acts to disarm Iraq now.
COLLINS: All right, Frank Buckley, coming to us from Washington this morning. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
