The United States plans to maintain its key military
assets in Saudi Arabia, but duplicate efforts in other areas in the Persian
Gulf.
U.S. officials said Washington and Riyad have agreed to keep major
military assets in the kingdom until the end of the year. This includes the
U.S. command and control center for air operations in the Persian Gulf and
South Asia. The center has been used for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.
The Defense Department and the U.S. military have agreed to prepare for
the prospect of any American withdrawal from Saudi Arabia. Officials said
until President George Bush issues such a decision the U.S. military will
establish alternative command and control centers in the Persian Gulf.
Gen. Tommy Franks, head of U.S. Central Command, which covers the
Persian Gulf and most of the Middle East, suggested that the military will
establish at least one other coalition air operations center outside of
Saudi Arabia. Officials said the most likely candidate is Qatar.
"We want to be sure that we have redundant communications inside the
region," Franks said in a briefing on Friday. "I have no plans to move the
CAOC [coalition air operations center] from its current location. That does
not say that I don't have plans to replicate it some place."
Franks said the United States began removing military assets out of
Saudi Arabia in late 2000, before the suicide attacks on New York and
Washington. The general said the redeployment includes increasing U.S.
command and control capability throughout the Gulf.
U.S. officials said the military has not launched a buildup of forces
in Kuwait. They said Washington has about 5,000 troops in the sheikdom and
that in January a force of nearly a brigade was deployed in Kuwait.
"The advantage that we get from that sort of positioning in the region
is two-fold," Franks said, "one, it's a hedge, that I mentioned before, and
two, it provides a great training opportunity for our ground forces to be
able to cooperate and train with forces in the region."
