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| Axis of Evil |
| US Central Command staff may stay on in Qatar |
| 2002-09-24 |
| Some of the 600 headquarters staff the US Central Command that will head to Qatar at the end of November for war games could stay on longer in the Gulf emirate, US diplomatic sources here said Monday. Oh, really? I am so surprised... "A core of officers and soldiers taking part in the exercises could stay, along with their equipment, in Qatar," a diplomat said on condition of anonymity about the US military leadership responsible for US forces in the Middle East and South and Central Asia. The biannual "Internal Look 03" military exercise is aimed at "evaluating the capability of the Central Command to operate in a country coming under its sphere of action," the diplomat said. I like mush. It's tasty, helps lower cholesterol, and it's not hard on your teeth at all... The exercises would also allow the Command to "give the order of a deployment if needs be," in case an armed conflict breaks out during the war games, he said. Just in case, mind you... The war games come as Doha has signaled it would consider an eventual request from the United States to use its territory as a launchpad for a strike on Iraq, amid speculation that the US national security leadership was considering moving the entire Tampa, Florida-based Central Command to Qatar. That's where it belongs... Unless sanctioned under a UN resolution, Saudi Arabia, which served as a base for US-led coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War, has indicated it will not allow military strikes against Iraq from its territory even though it hosts more than 5,000 US troops. Yep. That was the back of their collective hand... Kuwait, which was occupied by Iraq for seven months until its liberation in the Gulf War and also continues to host US troops, has so far said it too does not want to serve as a launchpad for a fresh US offensive. It's been ten years, after all... The United States has over the past year upgraded the sprawling Al-Udeid air base in Qatar as an alternative to the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, where most US forces stationed in the kingdom are based. The Al-Udeid desert base 35 kilometers (20 miles) south of Doha boasts a 14,000-foot runway and enough ramp space and shelter to house an air expeditionary force of 30 to 40 fighter jets. Currently, it is used by US tanker refueling planes and air transports. For the exercises, the command will move and test a new deployable headquarters consisting of several modular buildings designed for command and control and communications activities. Grandsons of the Quonset hut... And first cousin of the double-wide... Thanks to Alicia for this one... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |