Posted on 03/20/2003 1:32:17 PM PST by FirstFlaBn
Here's a publicly available Order of Battle for our forces. I think the media could take a look at it as well since they are really struggling with the distinction between brigade, battalion, and division. Note that it includes estimates of number of people, armored vehicles, etc.
Nothing follows (so click the link already!)
Click to Go to Order of Battle
Why is there a German unit here, given the German government's pro-Saddam position?
Is this Order of Battle limited to the current operations, or does it have broader application?
Why is there a German unit here, given the German government's pro-Saddam position? Is this Order of Battle limited to the current operations, or does it have broader application?
As noted in the other posts above, these are the Chemical/ Biowar agent detection units, largely crews of the German Fuchs [Fox] armoured car fitted mobile chemical warfare agent detection and analysis laboratories. If the Germans pulled those unit out, they'd not only be abrogating the NATO treaty in which they agreed to do so and would thereby also cause the other nations to develop their own capabilities in that field, undermining German efforts to sell such equipment abroad, but would be subjecting civilians in any such affected areas to additional casualties, a touchy point for the Germans who've sold chemicals with such uses to Saddam over the past few decades, as well as having a history of that sort of thing of their own. I don't expect they'd want photographs of civilian corpses to be captioned as being the result of the Germans pulling their Fuchs CBR equipment trucks out so Saddam could gas the population with German chemicals with impunity.
Naval Task Group 2003, which has long been planned to deploy via the Mediterranean and Gulf en route to the Far East for participation in Exercise Flying Fish, has been augmented to provide a significant maritime and amphibious capability. The Task Group comprises:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------HMS Ark Royal (aircraft carrier)
HMS Ocean (helicopter carrier)
HMS Liverpool (Type 42 destroyer)
HMS Edinburgh (Type 42 destroyer)
HMS York (Type 42 destroyer)
HMS Marlborough (Type 23 frigate)
HMS Grimsby (mine-hunter)
HMS Ledbury (mine-hunter)
RFA Argus
RFA Sir Tristram
RFA Sir Galahad
RFA Sir Percivale
RFA Fort Victoria
RFA Fort Rosalie
RFA Fort Austin
RFA Orangeleaf
plus a Fleet Submarine
The amphibious force numbers some 4,000 and includes:
HQ 3 Commando Brigade
40 Commando Royal Marines
42 Commando Royal Marines
Helicopter air groups aboard Ark Royal and Ocean
Some 14 other Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are also involved in the operation to some extent, including ships such as HMS Chatham which is assigned to the enforcement of United Nations sanctions, and an additional pair of minehunters, HMS Brocklesby and HMS Blyth.
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