QATAR: SECURITY HAS BEEN TIGHTENED AS THE UNITED STATES MILITARY PREPARES TO TEST NEW MOBILE HEADQUARTERS

Record ID: 338231

  • Title: QATAR: SECURITY HAS BEEN TIGHTENED AS THE UNITED STATES MILITARY PREPARES TO TEST NEW MOBILE HEADQUARTERS
  • Date: 9th December 2002
  • Summary: (EU) AL UDEID AIR BASE, DOHA, QATAR (DECEMBER 7, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV AL UDEID AIR BASE; SLV GROUNDED AIRPCRAFT IN DISTANCE (4 SHOTS) 0.23 2. SLV WATCHTOWER; SLV AIRCRAFT COMING IN TO LAND; SLV MORE AIRCRAFT AT BASE; SLV AIRCRAFT TAKING OFF; SLV ANOTHER AIRCRAFT FLIGHT (5 SHOTS) 1.33 (EU) AL SAYLIYAH AIR BASE, DOHA, QATAR (DECEMBER 7, 2002) (REUTERS) 3. SLV WATCHTOWER AND AMERICAN FLAG; SLV AIRCRAFT TAXIING ALONG RUNWAY; SLV AIRCRAFT COMING IN TO LAND; SLV AIRCRAFT TAXIING /SLV BUILDINGS ON AND AROUND BASE; SLV BASE (8 SHOTS) 3.07 4. SLV MILITARY VEHICLE DRIVING THROUGH BASE; SLV CAMELS PASSING IN FRONT OF SATELLITE DISHES (3 SHOTS) 3.42 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 24th December 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DOHA, QATAR
  • Country: Qatar
  • Reuters ID: LVA67OS09SS7LAKXOVK6R9T2Q518
  • Story Text: Security has been tightened in Qatar as the United
    States military prepares to test
    its new mobile headquarters in an exercise that could be a
    dress rehearsal for possible action against Baghdad.

    The general set to command any U.S. war on Iraq arrived
    in Qatar on Friday (December 6, 2002) to test his new mobile
    headquarters.

    General Tommy Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command,
    flew to the Gulf state from Tampa, Florida, for the war game
    beginning on Monday (December 9).

    His white airliner touched down at the Al Udeid air base
    in the desert, parking near a row of giant KC-135 tanker
    planes serving U.S. combat air patrols over Afghanistan and
    the southern Iraq "no fly" zone.

    Although the Pentagon has said that President George W.

    Bush has made no decision on whether to attack Iraq, the
    United States has been building up forces in the region as it
    presses accusations that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has
    weapons of mass destruction.

    "Exercise Internal Look" is a classified war game
    involving 1,000 Centcom personnel in Qatar plus several
    thousand more at the Command's permanent Florida HQ and other
    Gulf bases.

    A former Centcom commander, General Norman Schwarzkopf,
    was just ending the first "Internal Look" in August 1990 when
    Iraq invaded its neighbour Kuwait, triggering a six-month
    buildup to the bombing and land invasion campaign Schwarzkopf
    was to lead.

    Next week's version of the exercise will test the
    cutting-edge communications and control technology that keeps
    commanders in touch with units on land, at sea and in the air.

    The command headquarters set up for Franks would allow him
    to work in close proximity to commanders and their forces, a
    U.S. official said. Their regular headquarters is at McDill
    Air Force Base in Tampa.

    Franks arrived in Qatar a day before Iraq planned to hand
    over a declaration to the United Nations on its arms
    programmes. It says it has no weapons of mass destruction.

    U.N. arms inspectors returned to Iraq late last month
    after a four-year absence to search for such weapons and the
    U.N. gave Baghdad until Sunday (December 8) to declare all its
    programmes.

    Dozens of U.S. military aircraft are already stationed at
    Al Udeid and more would be sent in to join a growing American
    force in the Gulf if Bush decided to launch a U.S.-led attack
    on Iraq.

    U.S. officials have said that while the exercise itself
    was due to end around December 17, the command post facilities
    would remain in Qatar indefinitely for possible future use,
    including operations planning.

    The exercise would test the ability of U.S. forces to deal
    with "fictitious but realistic" military scenarios, U.S.

    officials said.

    Iraq is one of 25 countries in the Central Command area of
    responsibility that includes the Middle East, Horn of Africa
    and Central Asia.


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