[dirtboy]

Do you think it's possible that another factor influencing the battle plan is the possibility of Iraqi retaliation against allied civilian targets via terrorist proxies?

It's always a possibility, but I'll stick with the most obvious answer first. Most of those assets destined for Turkey were on ships in the Mediterranean. They had to transit the Suez Canal and sail around Arabia to get in theater, and then unloaded and all equipment checked out and moved forward. That takes time.

[Wordsmith]

It's always a possibility, but I'll stick with the most obvious answer first.

I think there are multiple factors at play - both obvious ones and subtle ones.