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U.S. air bases in Persian Gulf to eventually replace those in Iraq, senior
general says
AP Worldstream; May 14, 2006
JIM KRANE
The U.S. military is preparing for the day when air power from bases
along the Persian Gulf will help ensure that friendly governments in
Iraq and Afghanistan survive without American ground troops, a senior
U.S. general said.
"We'll be in the region for the foreseeable future," said U.S. Air
Force Maj. Gen. Allen G. Peck, deputy air commander of U.S. Central
Command, which oversees the region. "Our intention would be to stay as
long as the host nations will have us."
Agreements have been struck recently with Qatar, Kuwait and the United
Arab Emirates for long-term use of their bases. Already home to
U.S. and allied fighter, transport and observation planes, the bases
will become more critical if plans proceed to gradually withdraw
ground forces from Iraq.
A capable Iraqi air force is years away and Iraqi infantry need the
back-up and surveillance provided by U.S. warplanes, Peck said. The
bases also could help rush soldiers into Iraq in a crisis. The
Pentagon has been keeping thousands of troops in reserve in Kuwait, on
Iraq's southern border.
Not everyone is convinced.
The Bush administration declines to say it won't seek to keep bases in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and the U.S. military is spending almost US$1
billion (A770 million) this year for base construction in Iraq
alone. For example, the base at Balad, north of Baghdad, has been
expanded to host F-16 fighter and C-130 transport squadrons.
A former Iraq intelligence chief for the State Department, Wayne
White, said he believes one of the administration's unstated
pre-invasion goals was to secure permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq
after overseeing the installation of a pro-American government.
Peck, however, said he knew of no current U.S. plans to maintain
permanent air bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Because of the Iraqi insurgency, experts say bases in the Persian Gulf
nations are a better option given the long relationships Washington
has had with them.
But there are risks even in those countries, where many people harbor
suspicions of U.S. policy. Osama bin Laden and other Islamic radicals
agitate against the U.S. military presence in the Muslim world. A huge
U.S. air base and headquarters in Saudi Arabia was closed before the
invasion of Iraq because of fundamentalists' pressure on the Saudi
government.
Indeed, American diplomats and some military officers interviewed for
this article agreed to discuss the matter only on condition of
anonymity, because Arab governments have asked the U.S. military not
to publicize their presence.
The Air Force operates refueling, cargo and surveillance flights from
large bases in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while
maintaining runway access and warehoused supplies in Oman and Saudi
Arabia.
The plan Peck described would have the Air Force eventually
consolidate most of its Iraq operations in the Persian Gulf bases.
Afghanistan's military also could be backed up from Manas Air Base in
Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic where U.S. officials are
negotiating a long-term agreement. The Kyrgyz government has requested
a doubling of the base rental, Peck said.
The U.S. base at Incirlik, Turkey, could also enter into the
equation. For now, the Turkish government, a NATO ally, allows the
U.S. military to operate only cargo, refueling and passenger flights
to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the U.S. has based
fighter jets there in the past.
Peck and others caution that the shift would take years. The top U.S.
officer in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, recently said plans to begin
reducing the U.S.
presence this year are still on track. But U.S. President George
W. Bush also has said the counterinsurgency mission in Iraq will
continue at least through the end of his term in January 2009.
"The idea that we can envision a time when air power in places like
the UAE becomes our main way of watching over Iraq is still a bit
ahead of its time _ to put it gently," said Michael O'Hanlon, a
military analyst at the Brookings Institution.
Either way, the Pentagon is planning for the time when U.S. forces
pull out of Iraq, or in case Iraq's government asks them to leave. The
idea of a long-term U.S. military presence is deeply unpopular in
Iraq, polls say.
White and others say the United States could eventually turn over its
bases to the Iraqi military and still back up the Iraqi government
with small numbers of U.S. special forces troops, along with warplanes
based in nearby countries.
"If we do not support the Iraqi army with reconnaissance and airstrike
capabi lities, which we now rely on so heavily against the insurgents,
they're not going to stand a chance," said White, now an Iraq analyst
at the Middle East Institute.
O'Hanlon said the Gulf bases are safer than almost anywhere in
Iraq. "And everything in the region is close enough together that for
most purposes the bases along the gulf should suffice."
The air bases expected to host U.S. air operations after an Iraq
pullout are Al-Udeid in Qatar, Ali Al Salem in Kuwait and Al-Dhafra in
the UAE. The three bases also lie just across the Persian Gulf from
Iran, which the Bush administration and other nations suspect is
pursuing nuclear arms.
Visits to U.S. bases in Kuwait and Qatar found signs of heavy
construction of permanent housing and operations buildings.
At Al-Udeid, forward headquarters for the U.S. Central Command,
construction is under way on a concrete bunker that will house a
command center where American and coalition teams will direct and
monitor air operations over Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere in the
region. The current center is housed in a temporary building on the
base.
Construction of the new operations center is being funded by the
Qatari government, a U.S. military official said on condition of
anonymity, because of the sensitivity of the topic.
The change is inevitable, some experts say.
"We will not be able to retain bases in Iraq. That will simply not be
possible," White said.
general says
AP Worldstream; May 14, 2006
JIM KRANE
The U.S. military is preparing for the day when air power from bases
along the Persian Gulf will help ensure that friendly governments in
Iraq and Afghanistan survive without American ground troops, a senior
U.S. general said.
"We'll be in the region for the foreseeable future," said U.S. Air
Force Maj. Gen. Allen G. Peck, deputy air commander of U.S. Central
Command, which oversees the region. "Our intention would be to stay as
long as the host nations will have us."
Agreements have been struck recently with Qatar, Kuwait and the United
Arab Emirates for long-term use of their bases. Already home to
U.S. and allied fighter, transport and observation planes, the bases
will become more critical if plans proceed to gradually withdraw
ground forces from Iraq.
A capable Iraqi air force is years away and Iraqi infantry need the
back-up and surveillance provided by U.S. warplanes, Peck said. The
bases also could help rush soldiers into Iraq in a crisis. The
Pentagon has been keeping thousands of troops in reserve in Kuwait, on
Iraq's southern border.
Not everyone is convinced.
The Bush administration declines to say it won't seek to keep bases in
Iraq and Afghanistan, and the U.S. military is spending almost US$1
billion (A770 million) this year for base construction in Iraq
alone. For example, the base at Balad, north of Baghdad, has been
expanded to host F-16 fighter and C-130 transport squadrons.
A former Iraq intelligence chief for the State Department, Wayne
White, said he believes one of the administration's unstated
pre-invasion goals was to secure permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq
after overseeing the installation of a pro-American government.
Peck, however, said he knew of no current U.S. plans to maintain
permanent air bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Because of the Iraqi insurgency, experts say bases in the Persian Gulf
nations are a better option given the long relationships Washington
has had with them.
But there are risks even in those countries, where many people harbor
suspicions of U.S. policy. Osama bin Laden and other Islamic radicals
agitate against the U.S. military presence in the Muslim world. A huge
U.S. air base and headquarters in Saudi Arabia was closed before the
invasion of Iraq because of fundamentalists' pressure on the Saudi
government.
Indeed, American diplomats and some military officers interviewed for
this article agreed to discuss the matter only on condition of
anonymity, because Arab governments have asked the U.S. military not
to publicize their presence.
The Air Force operates refueling, cargo and surveillance flights from
large bases in Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while
maintaining runway access and warehoused supplies in Oman and Saudi
Arabia.
The plan Peck described would have the Air Force eventually
consolidate most of its Iraq operations in the Persian Gulf bases.
Afghanistan's military also could be backed up from Manas Air Base in
Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic where U.S. officials are
negotiating a long-term agreement. The Kyrgyz government has requested
a doubling of the base rental, Peck said.
The U.S. base at Incirlik, Turkey, could also enter into the
equation. For now, the Turkish government, a NATO ally, allows the
U.S. military to operate only cargo, refueling and passenger flights
to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the U.S. has based
fighter jets there in the past.
Peck and others caution that the shift would take years. The top U.S.
officer in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, recently said plans to begin
reducing the U.S.
presence this year are still on track. But U.S. President George
W. Bush also has said the counterinsurgency mission in Iraq will
continue at least through the end of his term in January 2009.
"The idea that we can envision a time when air power in places like
the UAE becomes our main way of watching over Iraq is still a bit
ahead of its time _ to put it gently," said Michael O'Hanlon, a
military analyst at the Brookings Institution.
Either way, the Pentagon is planning for the time when U.S. forces
pull out of Iraq, or in case Iraq's government asks them to leave. The
idea of a long-term U.S. military presence is deeply unpopular in
Iraq, polls say.
White and others say the United States could eventually turn over its
bases to the Iraqi military and still back up the Iraqi government
with small numbers of U.S. special forces troops, along with warplanes
based in nearby countries.
"If we do not support the Iraqi army with reconnaissance and airstrike
capabi lities, which we now rely on so heavily against the insurgents,
they're not going to stand a chance," said White, now an Iraq analyst
at the Middle East Institute.
O'Hanlon said the Gulf bases are safer than almost anywhere in
Iraq. "And everything in the region is close enough together that for
most purposes the bases along the gulf should suffice."
The air bases expected to host U.S. air operations after an Iraq
pullout are Al-Udeid in Qatar, Ali Al Salem in Kuwait and Al-Dhafra in
the UAE. The three bases also lie just across the Persian Gulf from
Iran, which the Bush administration and other nations suspect is
pursuing nuclear arms.
Visits to U.S. bases in Kuwait and Qatar found signs of heavy
construction of permanent housing and operations buildings.
At Al-Udeid, forward headquarters for the U.S. Central Command,
construction is under way on a concrete bunker that will house a
command center where American and coalition teams will direct and
monitor air operations over Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere in the
region. The current center is housed in a temporary building on the
base.
Construction of the new operations center is being funded by the
Qatari government, a U.S. military official said on condition of
anonymity, because of the sensitivity of the topic.
The change is inevitable, some experts say.
"We will not be able to retain bases in Iraq. That will simply not be
possible," White said.