U.S. Forces in the Middle East

A number of deployments have been announced in recent days, including early deployment of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Constellation, which indicate increasing efforts to ready U.S. forces for war. It is quite probable that a war may be launched within the next three to six months. Currently, more than over 35,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are in the Persian Gulf area, and more are arriving.

There are continuing reports of clandestine U.S. and allied actions inside Iraq already. Most recently, on Oct. 25, it was reported by the Washington Times that the Central Intelligence Agency had established two field offices in the Kurdish controlled areas of Northern Iraq; while on Oct. 28 the London Sunday Times reported that Israeli Special Forces, Unit 262 or Sayeret Matkal, were hunting Scud missiles in western Iraq. This is the second report of such activity, with the London-based Foreign Report having alleged much the same story in a report widely cited by various news sources in early October.

Recent Equipment Moves

	Two Bob Hope class large, medium-speed, roll-on, roll-off ships were activated to carry extra logistics material — fuel trucks and engineering equipment — probably to the Gulf region, on Oct. 23. Meanwhile, in San Diego, on Oct. 24, the cargo ship Bellatrix started loading trucks, other vehicles and engineering equipment for shipment to the Gulf.
	On Oct. 11, Reuters said the Navy's Military Sealift Command was to move large quantities of equipment from the home bases of both the U.S. Army's V Corps and the Marines' I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) to the Gulf region. Each headquarters has the ability to plan and conduct combat operations for at least 75,000 personnel. The only remaining levels of command necessary to deploy are the division headquarters and further actual combat brigades.
	The Navy tendered for the move of 867 pieces of 'hazardous rolling stock' from California, taking 99,000 square feet. (This amount of equipment probably indicates that at least a brigade's worth of material is being moved). *Separately, another tender called for the transport of 253 pieces of 'wheeled [and] tracked vehicles and containers', from Belgium and Italy — both countries where the U.S. Army has pre-positioned equipment — to be landed at two undisclosed Gulf ports.
	Separately, another tender called for the transport of 253 pieces of 'wheeled [and] tracked vehicles and containers', from Belgium and Italy — both countries where the U.S. Army has pre-positioned equipment — to be landed at two undisclosed Gulf ports.
	Two Army brigade sets are afloat in the Indian Ocean, and up to two more may well be on the way, as well as the Marine brigade inferred above.
	With the new tenders, the Navy has now requested six shiploads of military material since August.

KUWAIT

	The headquarters of Army Forces Central Command commanded by Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan is located at Camp Doha.
	The headquarters of the Army's V Corps from Heidelburg, Germany and the Marines' I Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Pendleton in California have been ordered to move to Kuwait (V Corps by mid December).
	3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), is now in Kuwait, including around 5,000 troops with M-1A12 main battle tanks, M-2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and M-109A6 Paladin artillery.
	3rd Brigade is now handing over to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart (also with about 5,000 troops).
	one full brigade (3rd being relieved by 2nd) plus another brigade set of equipment. Each brigade or brigade set has about 116 M-1 Abrams tanks, 60 M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 100 armored personnel carriers, and 25 artillery pieces.
	Three aviation battalions, each with at least 25 helicopters, have arrived or about to arrive:
	2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment task force.
	6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (Apache attack helicopters).
	7th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (Apache attack, UH-60 transport, helicopters).
	A Special Forces company (100-200), and other Special Operations units are present.
	There are numerous combat support and logistics units, including elements of the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade.
	Advance party from British 1st Armored Division. Apparently, the whole of the division, some 20,000 personnel, may arrive in November.
	Parts of the Marine Corps' 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are currently exercising with Kuwaiti forces as part of Exercise Eager Mace. Amphibious ships Mount Vernon and Denver are near Kuwait.
	U.S. Air Force 332nd Aerospace Expeditionary Group (AEG) is located at Ahmed Al-Jaber air base.
	386th Aerospace Expeditionary Group is stationed at Ali Al Salem air base in the south of Kuwait.
	3,000 Air Force personnel support Operation Southern Watch over Iraq.
	12 Squadron, British Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR.4 attack aircraft, at Ali Al Salem.
	Total number of U.S. military in Kuwait may now be over 10,000.

JORDAN

	Jordan provides basing and overflight permission for all U.S. and coalition forces.
	1,400 U.S. Special Operations troops, almost certainly including Army Special Forces, exercising in the country as part of Exercise Early Victor '02, which began on Oct.6. Jordanian, Omani, Kuwaiti and British troops are also taking part in the exercise.
	Brig. Gen. Gary L. Harrell, commander Special Operations Forces Central Command, last reported in Jordan Oct. 15.

SAUDI ARABIA

	A Combined Aerospace Operations Center (CAOC) is located at Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB), at Al Kharj, south of Riyadh. This is a major command center.
	The 363rd Air Expeditionary Group is also stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base. It includes F-16s from the Montana Air National Guard and the 184th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron of the Arkansas Air National Guard.
	British Royal Air Force Tornado F.3 fighters, drawn from 43 Squadron, are also at PSAB.

BAHRAIN

	The top Marine general for Central Asia and the Persian Gulf is Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston, who is CENTCOM's Marine Component commander (MARCENT) for all Marine forces in the Pacific. He has his headquarters and staff in Bahrain.
	Vice Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who served as deputy commander of Carrier Air Wing 17 in support of Operation Desert Storm, is CENTCOM's Naval Component Commander (NAVCENT) for all naval forces in the region. His 5th Fleet headquarters is in Manama, Bahrain.
	Task Force 50, stationed in the Gulf, conducts Maritime Interception Operations and enforces UN sanctions against Iraq. The force includes destroyers, frigates and at least one submarine.
	Task Force 53, the headquarters for Navy logistics in the area, is at Bahrain.
	USS Abraham Lincoln carrier battle group is in the area. The group includes the carrier itself, Carrier Air Wing 14, USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), USS Fletcher (DD 992), USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) and USS Reuben James (FFG 57) the attack submarine USS Honolulu (SSN 718), and the USS Camden, a combat support ship.
	The USS Nassau amphibious ready group, along with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is now in the Red Sea. The group comprises USS Nassau (LHA 4), USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and USS Austin (LPD 4).
	USS George Washington carrier battle group is in the Mediterranean Sea.
	The USS Constellation carrier battle group from West Coast now to deploy to the region in early November or December rather than next year.
	Four mine countermeasures vessels are assigned to the Fifth Fleet - USS Ardent (MCM 12), USS Cardinal(MHC 60), USS Dextrous (MCM 13), and USS Raven (MHC 61), all based at Bahrain. They form Mine Countermeasures Division 31.
	The United Kingdom has RAF Tri-Star refueling tankers at Bahrain airport
	The U.S. Navy has P-3 Orion anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft at Bahrain airport
	Naval Special Warfare Unit 3, a SEAL force, is headquartered in Bahrain.

QATAR

	Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley is CENTCOM's Air Force Component commander (CENTAF) for all Air Force assets in the region. He is now at Al Udeid Air Base, which is 19 miles outside of Doha, Qatar's capital.
	Al Udeid will host some 600 personnel from the Central Command headquarters (about a third of the full staff) to exercise a forward headquarters capability in November.
	The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing is located at Al Udeid. The base now has a 15,000 foot runway and hangers that can accommodate close to 100 aircraft. It is home to fighter/bomber aircraft, at least 11 air to air refueling aircraft, and JSTARS reconnaissance aircraft.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

	The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing is based at Al Dhafra, an hour outside Abu Dhabi. Three reconnaissance squadrons:
— 12th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, a number of Global Hawk reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles.   — 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron.   — 763rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, KC-135s providing air-to-air refueling support.

OMAN - 1,150 miles to Baghdad

	A new airbase has been under construction at Musnana'h, approximately 120 km. west of the capital Muscat, which has a 14,000-foot runway.
	Airlift hubs at Seeb and Thumrait are currently providing substantial support for the buildup.
	Masirah Island, the former RAF base, off the cost of Oman, is also another major airlift hub, and a major supply depot, housing the 355th Air Expeditionary Group and at least one squadron of AC-130 gunships.
	Airlift hubs at Seeb, Thumrait and Masirah Island, the former RAF base in the Arabian Sea, are currently providing substantial support. (Masirah is also a major supply depot.)
	The B-1 force in the area, with the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing, is now located in Oman, possibly at Thumrait.
	The British Royal Air Force has additional air refueling assets at Seeb to support the no-fly zone in Iraq.
	A full squadron, numbering up to 100, of the British Special Forces elite Special Air Service regiment is now reported in Oman.
	The Royal Australian Air Force is about to deploy two P-3 Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft into the region, which might well end up based in Oman.

TURKEY

Incirlik Air Base near Adana hosts the 39th Wing and 4,000 U.S. military personnel assigned to support 50 F-15, A-10 and F-16 fighters, plus U.S. Navy EA-6 Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. Elements of the 1st Fighter Wing, which flies F-15s from Langley AFB, Va., are currently deployed.

DIEGO GARCIA

	40th Air Expeditionary Wing is located at Diego Garcia with B-52 bombers.
	Forward basing preparations are underway for B-2 stealth bombers.
	Task Group 57.2 of the 5th Fleet, a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion maritime patrol and surveillance force is present.
	There are also pre-positioned strategic sealift ships for the Army and Air Force. Two Army brigade sets plus a Marine brigade set and equipment to support Marine aircraft are located around the atoll.

DJIBOUTI

	There are around 800 U.S. troops, including special operations forces, probably including troops from the Army's 5th Special Forces Group at Camp Le Monier in Djibouti.
	U.S. Marines are training in the country.
	The USS Belleau Wood is also in the region.

For additional analysis see "Southwest Asia — Forces in the Area".

Sources

Tony Allen-Mills, "Israeli SAS Goes On A Scud Hunt," (London) Sunday Times, Oct. 27, 2002.

"U.S. Military Grows in Djibouti", Associated Press, Sept. 30, 2002, http://www.djiboutipost.com/p/5f/3a7a44fedc78.html?id=f325b4

Bradley Graham, "U.S. Boasts Its Ability To Plan War," Washington Post, Oct. 12, 2002

Greg Jaffe, "U.S. Asks Britain To House B-2s At Island Base In Indian Ocean," The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 16, 2002.

Todd Purdum, "Saudis Indicating U.S. Can Use Bases If UN Backs War," New York Times, Sept. 16, 2002.

Cordesman, Anthony H., U.S. Forces In The Middle East, Resources and Capabilities, Boulder, CO; Westview Press, 1997.

Eli J. Lake, "CIA Puts Two Sites in Kurdish Areas," The Washington Times, Oct. 25, 2002.

Vernon Loeb, "U.S. Forces in Tampa Plan Qatar Exercises," The Washington Post, Sept. 12, 2002

Matthew Fisher, "U.S. will be ready for war by December," National Post, Oct. 9, 2002

Chris Tomlinson, "Poised to Strike, U.S. Forces Practice", Boston Globe (AP), Sept. 30, 2002

Sharon Weinberger, "Air Operations Center Could Be Quickly Moved," Aerospace Daily, April 16, 2002.

Hunter Keeter, "CENTCOM Boosting Command and Control Capability," Defense Daily International, April 5, 2002.

Rowen Scarborough, "Military 'Leaning Forward' To Gird For War With Iraq," The Washington Times, March 18, 2002.

"Navy Orders More Ships to Carry Gear to Gulf," Reuters, Oct. 14, 2002

Wayne Specht, "Air Base In Qatar Feature's Region's Longest Runway," Pacific Stars And Stripes, March 31, 2002.

Michael Sirak and Neil Barnett, "USA Looks To Expand Bases In Oman And Qatar," Defense Weekly, April 17, 2002.

Stratfor.com, "Oman open to closer U.S. military ties," hosted by www.worldnetdaily.com, Jan. 14, 2002.

U.S. Army, Army Prepositioned Stocks (APS-3)/Army Prepositioning Afloat (APA), DALO-FPP, Aug. 15, 2001

"FB-111A.Net's Updates", http://www.fb-111a.net/Updates.html

"Stealth Fighter Planes, Crew Members Deployed," Washington Times, Oct. 15, 2002

Rudi Williams, "Hispanic-American Service Members Honored", American Forces Press Service, Oct. 15, 2002, www.defenselink.mil

Colin Robinson CDI Research Analyst crobinson@cdi.org

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