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CNN NEWSNIGHT AARON BROWN
Pentagon to Rethink Military Presence in Persian Gulf Region
Aired April 15, 2003 - 23:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: At some point, of course -- at what point, we don't know -- the American troops in Iraq will begin going home, and it could be that some other American troops will begin going home as well.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre has more now from the Pentagon.
Jamie -- good evening.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Aaron.
Well, suffice it to say, it's going to be a much different neighborhood around Iraq no matter what happens over the next couple of months. The U.S. is going to have a significant presence in Iraq, but it may turn out they need fewer troops in other countries, particularly other countries that are not so comfortable with the U.S. presence.
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MCINTYRE (voice-over): Now that the U.S. military is free from the burden of patrolling the northern and southern no-fly zones, the Pentagon is completely rethinking how it will position its forces in and around a free Iraq. With Iraq's military essentially destroyed and disarmament well under way, the U.S. has far less need for two bases that supported 12 years of no-fly zone patrols: Incirlik Air Base in Turkey and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We have shut down Operation Northern Watch. The assets that were there for that purpose have been redeployed. We have not made final decisions with respect to the footprint of the United States in that part of the world, and won't for some months.
MCINTYRE: Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been reluctant allies. Turkey blocked the deployment of the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, which effectively denied the U.S. a northern front in the initial phase of the war. And Turkey only allowed limited combat overflights of its territory.
Saudi Arabia insisted publicly it would not allow offensive airstrikes from its soil, but did quietly permit some U.S. Special Operations troops and aircraft to operate from forward bases. And it allowed the U.S. to run the air war out of a high-tech U.S. command center south of Riyadh. But now that the U.S. will likely have a military presence in Iraq for years to come, and enjoy stronger alliances with other Gulf States like Kuwait and Qatar, the U.S. is re-evaluating how many troops, ships and planes it needs in the Persian Gulf region.
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But even as it thinks about cutbacks in the future, for now, more troops are pouring in, although the mix has been adjusted to reflect the new missions of humanitarian aid and searching for weapons of mass destruction. The 1st Armored Division from Germany is deploying with its tanks but without artillery, and the 1st Calvary Division from Fort Hood, Texas isn't going, with the exception of one unit, military police, which are still desperately needed in Iraq -- Aaron.
BROWN: Jamie -- and we'll bring General Clark in on this in a moment, too -- the decision on the bases, particularly in Saudi Arabia which caused a lot of problems to the Saudis as well, is that a unilateral decision by the U.S. government? The secretary said we haven't decided what our footprint is going to be in the region. I assume the Saudis have something to say about this.
MCINTYRE: Well, obviously it will be done in conjunction with Saudi Arabia, but Saudi Arabia has always wanted the United States to have the smallest footprint possible. Their policy toward the United States has been essentially the U.S. can do whatever it can do without calling much attention to itself.
The U.S. will no doubt still want to have a presence there, and they'll want to keep that high-tech command center at the Prince Sultan Air Base. That's a very expensive and high-tech facility. But they may be able to move a lot of the other planes out, especially with new allies in Qatar and plenty of places to operate in Kuwait, perhaps even with some bases in Iraq.
So they'll be able to reduce the footprint there and probably in Turkey as well. And to both of those governments, that may be a relief.
BROWN: Jamie, thank you -- Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon.
Quickly over to General Clark.
Perhaps this is a bit harsh, but to a certain extent the Saudi position has been, we actually like having these Americans here, we like the protection, but they're like hired help. We don't necessarily want to see them out in public. Untenable or just pragmatic?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I think it's pragmatic for the Saudis. I think it's something the American forces have to put up with. There have been friction for years over this, and many of the Americans have felt like somewhat of hired help. The relations are great at the top, though. The generals and the admirals and the colonels who deal with the Saudis are very well- treated. It's just at the bottom, and it's just the facts of the situation.
There will be readjustments, Aaron. There is no doubt about it. And there may be force structure changes as well. But you know, I think in all of these considerations, we have to remember that this is set against a broader vision of the Middle East.
And so, it's not clear yet how that's going to work out, and it's not clear what the requirement for forces or facilities in the region will be. It's much too early. The administration's claims that it has no plans to go against Syria notwithstanding, there is a lot left that could happen in the region as a result of the instabilities and pressures set up by the U.S. action.
BROWN: Help me and help us understand something here. Why is it important, if you think it is important, that the Americans keep a presence in Saudi Arabia or in the region? How does that contribute to the national security of the United States?
CLARK: Well, in the first place, any country in which we have troops stationed, we have a certain amount of influence. We're not paying for that commitment in full dollar terms. The Saudis are actually putting a lot of the money up themselves. They built the facilities, provided the fuel and all that sort of thing.
But it's an occasion for dialogue. It's an opportunity to work together on other common problems. These military forces are in actual practice great diplomats. They are there, the tangible evidence of U.S. interests abroad, and they're the ones that merit the special attention from the government.
So keeping them there keeps a link open, it builds a bridge to the Saudis, especially to the royal family and the people at the top, and gives us a certain amount of sway, provided, of course, that they still want the forces there.
BROWN: General, thank you -- General Wes Clark.
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