14 `enduring bases' set in Iraq

Chicago Tribune via Yahoo! News ^ | Tue Mar 23, 9:40 AM ET | Christine Spolar

[Murtyo]

From the ashes of abandoned Iraqi army bases, U.S. military engineers are overseeing the building of an enhanced system of American bases designed to last for years.

Last year, as troops poured over the Kuwait border to invade Iraq (news - web sites), the U.S. military set up at least 120 forward operating bases. Then came hundreds of expeditionary and temporary bases that were to last between six months and a year for tactical operations while providing soldiers with such comforts as e-mail and Internet access.

[Betaille]

Having bases in Iraq is far more vital and useful than Saudi Arabia. Iraq borders almost every country we may want to invade in the near future. My only concern is that an iraqi govt. is installed that will allow the US to use iraq as a launching site for future military operations.

[tcuoohjohn]

Wonder what the bidding opportunities will be here?

[dakine]

Permanent bases in Iraq, gotta keep that free flow of oil going for the U.S. economy...

[dead]

Great news.

[Digger]

gotta keep that free flow of oil going for the U.S. economy...

Better to us than the Chi-Coms or the Frogs.

[dakine]

I didn't say it was a bad thing, but it IS the REAL reason we went into Iraq...Same with Afghanistan...

[Betaille]

"Same with Afghanistan..."
Oil is not the reason we went into afghanistan... I don't even know where you got that idea from.

[dakine]

Pipeline from Caspian oil fields area...that is where I "got" that idea...

[Betaille]

Take off the tin-foil hat buddy... you don't think Al Qaeda, Osama, and 9/11 had anything to do with going into afghanistan? This is about security. Maybe you're right and oil played a role, but you can't just attribute everything that happens in the middle east to oil.

[Allegra]

Having bases in Iraq is far more vital and useful than Saudi Arabia. Iraq borders almost every country we may want to invade in the near future. My only concern is that an iraqi govt. is installed that will allow the US to use iraq as a launching site for future military operations.

There will be a government that will have strong diplomatic relations with the U.S. There pretty much has to be. There's going to be some instability at first, but I believe we'll have a diplomatic partner as good as any Middle Eastern country can be.

I see things and hear from people and what I observe is nothing you'll ever see on CNN and the major media. It's unbelievable to me how they twist the true representation of how the majority of the Iraqi people feel.

[mrsmith]

it IS the REAL ONE reason we went into Iraq

[Sabretooth]

Its just a coincidence that the Taliban and Osama were based there huh?

[dakine]

I never said everything was about oil, just if the oil wasn't there, we would not be securing the area...

The U.S. economy must have crude oil...

[dakine]

The U.S. economy must have oil, just a fact...

[meenie]

If we are going to keep invading, temporary bases should be all that would be required in the rear areas. Hitler solved this problem by setting up forward supply bases and fuel depots near the front lines. It makes no sense to set up permanent bases that need protected when the material needs to be near the invading troops. Mobility is the main factor in considering an invasion. The Japanese were very successful in their aggression as long as they remained mobile.

When permanent bases were set up as in the Phillipines and on Guadalcanal, this created a target for American forces to attack. As we become more militaristic, lessons should be learned from the past failures of despots to extend their supply lines past the limits of practibility. The Nazi and Napoleanic invasions of Russia come to mind. As our invasions increase, more attention has to be given to resupply for the troops in the field. Permanent bases just become targets for guerilla attacks and idle garrisons protecting them.

[Betaille]

Your point stands... but I don't think the Syrians or Iranians have sufficient military strength to attack our permanent bases in Iraq. If we have a freindly and effective Iraqi govt. in place, guerillas should be manageable.

[dljordan]

I think we went to Afghanistan to clean up the Islamic militants that we armed and trained a few years ago and were so ungrateful as to turn on us.

[Betaille]

"Islamic militants that we armed and trained a few years ago"
So because we teamed up with bad-guys to beat the soviets... we don't have a right to defend ourselves now? I don't understand what you're getting at.

[dirtboy]

Pipeline from Caspian oil fields area...that is where I "got" that idea...

A proposed pipeline to ship natural gas to India - yep, we'd invade Afghanistan for that...

We've already got several Caspian projects in the works - heading westward. Any Afghani pipeline would have to run through some very politically unstable areas, and most oil companies prefer risks they can manage - and a bunch of hostile Pathan tribes wanting to blow up your pipeline isn't in that risk category.