Franks shifts missile vessels to war positions in Red Sea

Washington Times ^ | 3/14/03 | Rowan Scarborough

[kattracks]

The U.S. military is moving a dozen or more missile-firing ships from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea, bordering Saudi Arabia, as Gen. Tommy Franks puts the final pieces in place for a war with Iraq.

As the ships were preparing to move as early as last night, the Air Force announced it had deployed an unspecified number of B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., to bases closer to Iraq.

[GATOR NAVY]

[Starwind]

The White House has set Monday as a deadline for Iraq to begin disarming. If it does not, a U.S.-led attack could come any day afterward.

Well, so much for Thursday's rally on reduced imminence of war.

Hostilities beginning Monday or thereafter followed by next Friday's triple witching, should make for an interesting week of jockeying in the markets.

Given hostilities could start Monday (or sooner to counter or pre-empt some move by Saddam), who's gonna be long over the weekend?

[griffin]

So they are breaking up the two carrier battle groups in the Mediterranean? Isn't that a lot to risk? Seems like in this war effort we can't be sure who our friends and enemies are....12,000 crewmen without full escort seems to be asking for trouble.

[griffin]

Tommies use terrain mapping for guidance, correct? Don't we have the capability to guide the Tomohawks AROUND population centers??

[GATOR NAVY]

I believe so.