WASHINGTON Ñ The U.S. military plans to reduce its reliance on
foreign shippers to transport weapons and equipment around the Middle East as plans for a possible campaign against Iraq are implemented.
The decision by the military and Defense Department came after Congress
warned that the United States faces threats from the transport of weapons
and supplies by foreign shippers to unsecured Middle East sea ports. U.S.
Central Command has accelerated the delivery of equipment to the Persian
Gulf and other areas of the Middle East in preparation for a military
campaign against Iraq.
The Pentagon has awarded a $219.7 million contract to Maersk Line for
the operation and maintenance of eight government-owned ships, Middle East Newsline reported. The vessels
were described as large, medium-speed, roll-on and roll-off vessels that can
carry ammunition and armored vehicles.
Maersk Line is has been termed the largest operator of ships in the U.S.
Maritime Security Program. The company was employed to transport combat
equipment during a war or crisis. Maersk participated in the 1991 Gulf war.
Under the contract with Maersk Line, the Norfolk, Va. company will
operate the following U.S. naval vessels: the USNS Watson, USNS Watkins,
USNS Red Cloud, USNS Sisler, USNS Soderman, USNS Charlton, USNS Dahl, and
USNS Pomeroy. All of these ships carry U.S. Army cargo such as ammunition
and vehicles including M1A1 tanks, cargo/utility trucks, ambulances and
tanker
trucks. They operate under the administrative control of the
Washington-based Military Sealift Command.
A Pentagon statement said the ships will operate primarily in the waters
around Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, "but must be deployable worldwide."
The statement said additional options could bring the cumulative value of
the contract to more than $400 million.
The United States has also been building its supply stockpile, the
sources said. They said the U.S. Central Command's logistics unit, based in
Kuwait, has been ordering what the sources term vast quantities of aviation
fuel and mineral water.
They said the U.S. Navy plans to ship attack helicopters and ammunition
to two ports in the Red Sea. A U.S. naval spokesman has denied that the
service requests to charter a civilian ship.
Bahrain and Qatar have been asked to store U.S. ammunition and other
supplies. In addition, the sheikdom is said to have been asked to host
thousands of U.S. troops as well as store ammunition.
Congress has warned that the U.S. military must increase security around
logistical installations. The General Accounting Office warned the House
Government Reform subcommittee on national security that the military has
not
taken sufficient steps to protect against an attack in Middle East sea
ports, including in such places as Yemen. The GAO said unsupervised foreign
crews of civilian cargo vessels regularly load and unload such military
equipment helicopters, Bradley fighting vehicles, machine guns and cannons.
