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CNN Sunday Morning

How Would U.S. Air Campaign in Iraq Play Out?

Aired November 17, 2002 - 09:35   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.


ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: If Iraq fails to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors, the White House has warned it could face war. How would an air campaign, for example, play out? Joining us is our military analyst, retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. Good morning again, sir.
MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Arthel.

NEVILLE: Let's talk about the current U.S. military strategy and how it compares to the strategy used in the Persian Gulf War.

SHEPPERD: Well, it will be similar in this way: No matter what happens, you will see at first a massive air attack from sea and also from Air Force forces. You'll find carriers, you'll find Tomahawk missiles, you'll find stealth aircraft from the Air Force. You'll find conventional strikes going against command and control networks, early warning and air defenses. That's all the same as the Gulf War.

In addition, you'll find some specific attacks on designated targets of high interest -- weapons storage, leadership targets, that type of thing. The thing that makes it different, is it will be less complicated this time, because you don't have the forces arrayed in Kuwait that you have to worry about, and the deployed forces, at least right now, in the field right spread out all over the country. So the target set that you're after is much less complicated and much smaller this time around.

NEVILLE: Now, how dependent is the U.S. military on Saudi bases and air space, and what happens if Saudi denies access?

SHEPPERD: Well, if Saudi denies access, there's other bases in the region. We have bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman. All of those are possibilities. I feel confident that we will reach an accommodation with the Saudis to get what we need in the way of air space and perhaps bases. It's always a rocky relationship, for reasons we understand there, but on the other hand, we've always been able to work with the Saudis and I feel confident we will this time as well.

NEVILLE: Let's talk about manpower. We're talking about 250,000 people, troops -- land, air and sea combined here. What do you say, what does the military say to reserves when they're called to active duty? Are they given a timetable as to how long they might have to -- might be needed? SHEPPERD: Yes and no. Generally speaking, they know that they're going to be called up, in this particular case, probably for up to two years. What we're trying to do, basically, is use as many of the guardsmen and reservists and homeland security as possible. We're going back to the same people that were in the Gulf War and have been recently called up for 9/11 and we're going back to a lot of them again.

We're in new and unchartered territory here with people who have jobs and families, that type of thing. The old reservists were supposed to stay home for the big war that was never supposed to happen, go to the war and then come home, not to be used again for many, many years. All that's changed in the modern world and we're in an uncharted territory. But right now, it's working and the guards and reserve leadership is being allowed to manage those call-ups in conjunction with the Department of Defense. So far, it seems to be working.

NEVILLE: So if you're calling back some of the military personnel that was there before, do they have to unlearn anything that they learned before, because now it's a new approach, as you said, some ways similar and in many ways it's different? It is a new day.

SHEPPERD: No, not at all. These people are basically trained in basic skills. In the case of the ground soldier and the infantry skills, the armor skills, the artillery skills. They know their jobs and their specialties. Same way with the air troops and the naval troops. They know what they're doing. So those basic skills are then employed in a war plan and put to use, and then adapted to the circumstances you find. But they're all trained in chemical and biological warfare defenses. They're trained in their particular specialty so there's nothing that they're going to have to unlearn, Arthel.

NEVILLE: You know, earlier today, Hans Blix was saying that this, having the U.N. weapons inspectors go back in, is an opportunity for peace for Iraq. I wanted to ask you, what do you think the likelihood is that there will be a peaceful resolution?

SHEPPERD: I'm guessing like all of you. It doesn't look hopeful for a peaceful resolution, but it really is up to Saddam Hussein. If he disarms and if he allows inspectors to confirm that he's disarmed, then the United Nations, the U.S. coalition is going to have no excuse to attack. So it's really up to him. If he can prove that he really is honestly disarmed, we may still have doubts, but we won't have the excuse to go in and go to war.

NEVILLE: OK, General Shepperd, thank you so much for joining us here on early morning. I know it's earlier for you out there in Arizona. So go ahead and get a nap now.

SHEPPERD: You bet.

NEVILLE: 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 17, 2002 - 09:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: If Iraq fails to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors, the White House has warned it could face war. How would an air campaign, for example, play out? Joining us is our military analyst, retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. Good morning again, sir.
MAJ. GEN. DONALD SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning, Arthel.

NEVILLE: Let's talk about the current U.S. military strategy and how it compares to the strategy used in the Persian Gulf War.

SHEPPERD: Well, it will be similar in this way: No matter what happens, you will see at first a massive air attack from sea and also from Air Force forces. You'll find carriers, you'll find Tomahawk missiles, you'll find stealth aircraft from the Air Force. You'll find conventional strikes going against command and control networks, early warning and air defenses. That's all the same as the Gulf War.

In addition, you'll find some specific attacks on designated targets of high interest -- weapons storage, leadership targets, that type of thing. The thing that makes it different, is it will be less complicated this time, because you don't have the forces arrayed in Kuwait that you have to worry about, and the deployed forces, at least right now, in the field right spread out all over the country. So the target set that you're after is much less complicated and much smaller this time around.

NEVILLE: Now, how dependent is the U.S. military on Saudi bases and air space, and what happens if Saudi denies access?

SHEPPERD: Well, if Saudi denies access, there's other bases in the region. We have bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman. All of those are possibilities. I feel confident that we will reach an accommodation with the Saudis to get what we need in the way of air space and perhaps bases. It's always a rocky relationship, for reasons we understand there, but on the other hand, we've always been able to work with the Saudis and I feel confident we will this time as well.

NEVILLE: Let's talk about manpower. We're talking about 250,000 people, troops -- land, air and sea combined here. What do you say, what does the military say to reserves when they're called to active duty? Are they given a timetable as to how long they might have to -- might be needed? SHEPPERD: Yes and no. Generally speaking, they know that they're going to be called up, in this particular case, probably for up to two years. What we're trying to do, basically, is use as many of the guardsmen and reservists and homeland security as possible. We're going back to the same people that were in the Gulf War and have been recently called up for 9/11 and we're going back to a lot of them again.

We're in new and unchartered territory here with people who have jobs and families, that type of thing. The old reservists were supposed to stay home for the big war that was never supposed to happen, go to the war and then come home, not to be used again for many, many years. All that's changed in the modern world and we're in an uncharted territory. But right now, it's working and the guards and reserve leadership is being allowed to manage those call-ups in conjunction with the Department of Defense. So far, it seems to be working.

NEVILLE: So if you're calling back some of the military personnel that was there before, do they have to unlearn anything that they learned before, because now it's a new approach, as you said, some ways similar and in many ways it's different? It is a new day.

SHEPPERD: No, not at all. These people are basically trained in basic skills. In the case of the ground soldier and the infantry skills, the armor skills, the artillery skills. They know their jobs and their specialties. Same way with the air troops and the naval troops. They know what they're doing. So those basic skills are then employed in a war plan and put to use, and then adapted to the circumstances you find. But they're all trained in chemical and biological warfare defenses. They're trained in their particular specialty so there's nothing that they're going to have to unlearn, Arthel.

NEVILLE: You know, earlier today, Hans Blix was saying that this, having the U.N. weapons inspectors go back in, is an opportunity for peace for Iraq. I wanted to ask you, what do you think the likelihood is that there will be a peaceful resolution?

SHEPPERD: I'm guessing like all of you. It doesn't look hopeful for a peaceful resolution, but it really is up to Saddam Hussein. If he disarms and if he allows inspectors to confirm that he's disarmed, then the United Nations, the U.S. coalition is going to have no excuse to attack. So it's really up to him. If he can prove that he really is honestly disarmed, we may still have doubts, but we won't have the excuse to go in and go to war.

NEVILLE: OK, General Shepperd, thank you so much for joining us here on early morning. I know it's earlier for you out there in Arizona. So go ahead and get a nap now.

SHEPPERD: You bet.

NEVILLE: 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