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| Axis of Evil |
| U.S. deploying Task Force Iron Horse |
| 2003-01-21 |
| More than 12,000 soldiers from elements of the mechanized 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood are expected to deploy for the Central Command region, a fort spokesman said. The deployment date is unknown. The division's 3rd Brigade, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, also received orders that affect almost 4,000 troops. When those troops move out, the United States will have deployed about 123,000 troops from various military branches to the region. Britain announced Monday that it is deploying an additional 26,000 troops with 120 Challenger tanks and 150 Warrior armored personnel carriers to the Persian Gulf region for potential operations in Iraq. Those troops include the 7th Armored Brigade, known as the Desert Rats, and 16th Air Assault Brigade. The 4th Infantry Division is composed of heavy mechanized weaponry -- including the latest M1A2 Abrams tanks -- Bradley fighting vehicles and 155 mm howitzers. An airborne element consists of anti-armor AH-64 Apache attack helicopters and UH-60 Black Hawk transports. The division will spearhead what the Army calls Task Force Iron Horse, a joint air and ground force of more than 37,000 troops from more than 10 military installations around the country. Elements of the 3rd Infantry Division are already deployed in the Persian Gulf region or are on the way from the unit's two posts in Georgia. Although the task force's role has not been made public, Army officials said its mission is part of the president's plan to reposition troops to fight terrorism. When the division prepares to move, its tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters will be loaded onto railroad cars to begin the journey to the Central Command region, which includes the Persian Gulf. A greater amount of similar heavy equipment is prepositioned at bases in the Central Command region and will be activated as troops arrive. This is the largest call-up of troops from a single military installation since Christmas Eve, when Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed the first deployment orders in the build-up for a possible military strike against Iraq. Fort Hood is the largest U.S. military installation, with more than 40,000 troops. I don't care what the EU or UN says. George is getting ready to drop a big steel hammer on Sammy's head. |
| Posted by:Steve |