This item was run by NBC News today .. not exactly news, I guess ... more a confirmation of what we've known to be inevitable, given what we learned recently from smithbw and what we can deduce from the noteable recent absence of our friend Adroomi ... keep our guys in your thoughts as you light up and in whatever prayers you might offer in the days ahead ....
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 — At least 25,000 more U.S. troops have been ordered to the Persian Gulf region starting in early January, military officials told NBC News, and the Navy has been ordered to prepare amphibious assault groups and aircraft carriers for possible action in the gulf, the latest wave in a deployment for a potential conflict with Iraq, defense officials said.
THE U.S. has warned President Saddam Hussein that he must comply with the latest U.N. resolution calling for complete disarmament or face possible military action.
U.N. inspectors have been back in Iraq since late November and U.N. weapons chief Hans Blix must report on their progress to the Security Council on Jan. 27. A decision about whether to go to war is not expected before then, the defense officials said.
Meanwhile, the United States has been gradually building up its military might in the region. According to U.S. officials, who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity, most of the additional 25,000 troops ordered to the Gulf are logisticians, cargo handlers and other support forces.
Sources told Reuters Saturday that the additional troops could number as high as 50,000.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld signed the classified deployment order Tuesday, The Washington Post reported. The newspaper said in its Saturday edition that the 20-plus-page document identifies an array of forces and capabilities — such as mechanized infantry units, midair refuelers and medical facilities — that will be shipped and airlifted to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and other Gulf nations in the coming weeks.
Their deployment will increase the U.S. military presence to well over 80,000 troops. According to the various invasion scenarios, the United States would need a force of around 250,000 to launch a successful attack on Iraq.
However, tens of thousands of additional forces — including combat troops and aircraft — are expected to begin receiving their orders to deploy just after the New Year.
