Callup For Roosevelt And Lincoln May Let GW Off Hook

Norfolk Virginian-Pilot | January 22, 2003 | Dale Eisman

[Stand Watch Listen]

WASHINGTON -- With international support for the Bush administration's war plans seemingly on the wane, the Navy confirmed Tuesday that two more aircraft carriers -- including the Norfolk-based Theodore Roosevelt -- have been ordered to move within striking distance of Iraq.

The Roosevelt and its battle group, currently training near Puerto Rico, could be steaming toward the Mediterranean in about a week if commanders are satisfied that its sailors and equipment are ready, officials said.

Officials also suggested that deployment of the Roosevelt likely would mean that the George Washington, another Norfolk-based carrier, will not redeploy soon. The GW and its battle group have been on alert . The GW now is expected to enter Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard for scheduled maintenance.

Also on the move is the carrier Abraham Lincoln, which has been in port in Australia or exercising in waters nearby for several weeks. The Lincoln left its homeport in Everett, Wash., in July and was to return this month, but officials decided before Christmas to extend its deployment.

The Roosevelt and Lincoln will join the Norfolk-based carrier Harry S. Truman and the Constellation, based in San Diego, which already are positioned for roles in a possible attack on Iraq.

The Truman is in the eastern Mediterranean, where its air wing could reach missile launch sites believed to be in western Iraq, and the Constellation is in the Persian Gulf.

A four-carrier force would be the largest concentration of air power at sea since the Persian Gulf War of 1991, when six carriers were deployed. Each flattop carries about 50 strike aircraft, all of which are outfitted to deliver precision-guided bombs.

A fifth carrier, the Kitty Hawk, is likely to be sent to the Gulf region should President Bush order an attack on Iraq. The Kitty Hawk is based in Yokosuka, Japan. The carrier Carl Vinson, based in Bremerton, Wash., is exercising off the west coast of the United States and apparently will head toward Japan to maintain an American presence in that area should the Kitty Hawk be ordered to the Persian Gulf.

The Kitty Hawk played an unusual role in the 2001 war that overthrew Afghanistan's Taliban regime. The ship was deployed without its usual complement of fighter-bombers and served as a floating base for special operations forces fighting ashore. A defense official said the carrier would probably take its air wing along if ordered to join the U.S. flotilla around Iraq.

The assortment of cruisers, destroyers and submarines that travel with the carriers carry hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles that also are likely to play a prominent role in any attack on Iraq. U.S. commanders typically use Tomahawks in the opening days of offensives to attack enemy air defenses and command posts, reducing the danger for the fighter aircraft that follow.

Navy officials said the decision to send the Roosevelt was made Tuesday by Adm. Robert J. Natter, commander of the Norfolk-based U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had ordered the Navy to deploy two additional battlegroups but left it to the service to decide which would go.

A Navy official said it's unclear whether the Roosevelt or any of the ships in its battle group will return to Norfolk before heading toward the Mediterranean. That decision hinges on when the ships complete their training and are certified for deployment and on what supplies they need to take with them, he suggested.

The Roosevelt battle group has a crew of 8,445, including Air Wing Eight. Other pieces of the 11-ship group are the cruisers Anzio and Cape St. George; the destroyers Arleigh Burke, Winston Churchill, Porter and Stump; the frigate Carr; the fast combat support ship Arctic; and two unnamed fast attack submarines.

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[Rokke]

"the war will start later than we think."

I believe you are correct. A quick look at the current state of deployments makes it quite clear we aren't looking at anything happening in the near future. I can guarantee we aren't going to start anything with just two carrier battle groups in the area. And Air Force deployments have been minimal. Not to mention the slow process of sorting out what we can do in Turkey. The Freeper timeline for the start of hostilities (1 minute after the State of the Union) has never been realistic. Saddam is playing for time. Here is what he has left, and what I believe we can expect to see in the near future...1. a huge terrorist attack in Israel, forcing an Israeli response and subsequent Arab outrage. 2. a large and manufactured number of civilian casualties in one of the no fly zones due to an allied air strike. 3. increased and more open evidence that Saddam is contemplating leaving the country (albeit completely false) 4. Increasing pressure from everyone but Canada/Australia/UK to allow the inspectors to do their job. All or any of those things combined will add weeks to the inevitable attack.

Of course, I've been wrong before.

[CPT Clay]

20Feb is looking more realistic, I wonder if I could change my guess in the FReeper betting pool?

[ambrose]

France should be bombed first.

[OldFriend]

Let's hit NK's nuclear facility first. Then on to France. Germany can be left to stew in it's own juices.