US Forces in the Gulf

US Forces in the Gulf 1998

Decemberr 1998 Interactive map:

Interactive map: Bases Nov 1998

Interactive information will be added to the bases once it becomes available. Note: Akrotiri is in Cyprus, Incirlik is in Turkey and Diego Garcian in the Indian Ocean.

Marine General Anthony Zinni, who will direct any U.S. bombing and cruise missile strikes against Iraq, is a modern officer with a background in both combat and the peacekeeping tasks of America's new military.

The 54-year-old general, an easy-going man who wears his four stars quietly, is a stark contrast to the blunt, bullish commander of U.S. forces during the 1991 Gulf War, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf.

Zinni heads the U.S. Central Command with responsibility for American forces in the Gulf. Fellow officers say the Vietnam War veteran understands the value of high-tech weaponry, but knows that bullets don't always win the day.

"He has a fine flair for dealing with people. That came out in difficult situations when he headed 'Operation Provide Comfort'" to help feed and shelter Kurds in Northern Iraq after the Gulf War, Marine Col. Stu Wagner said.

Zinni, thrust into that unfamiliar role in 1991 just after the shooting ended, dealt equally well with humanitarian aid agencies wary of military injection into their tasks and with squabbling Kurdish factions on the edge of open warfare. "He did it successfully. And he did it in the glare of international news media," said Wagner. "I think he made it look easier than it was."

A year later in Somalia in 1992, Zinni also served as director of operations for a U.S.-led military humanitarian relief effort. Tony Zinni was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marines in 1965, two years after graduating from Villanova University. He subsequently served two tours of duty in Vietnam and was wounded and evacuated in 1970.

Despite widespread opposition in the Arab world to the idea of military attacks on Iraq, Zinni gets along well with top officials in moderate Gulf states. He is a fisherman at heart, but makes time to go into the desert to join in the local passion for hunting with trained falcons.

"He made a vow when he took over Central Command to meet and develop close relations with leaders of the Gulf states. He has done that," said Marine Maj. Mary Baldwin, a spokeswoman for the Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

"He is smart and likeable and very, very good with people. There is a genuine warmth to Tony Zinni," said Wagner. Zinni gets along well with reporters, but could find those relations strained in future weeks if, as analysts warn, any military raids fail to persuade Iraq's President Saddam Hussein to allow unconditional U.N. inspections of arms sites in his country.

But defense officials also point out that Zinni will not be accused of going to battle with two little in his arsenal. In massing a very powerful force of long-range missiles and laser-guided bombs against Iraq's still-weakened air defenses, he is determined to carry out any attack in the safest way possible for American pilots. If anybody is shot down or lost, I think it will be a fluke," said one senior defense official, who asked not to be identified. "But Tony has a lot of rescue people there, too."

US Air Force in the Gulf

AIR FORCES: 18 Dec

- In Kuwait: 12 air force F-16 fighters, 10 F-16CG fighters, 13 A-10 ground attack planes, two C-130E aircraft

- In Saudi Arabia: 18 F-15C fighters, eight F-16CJ; two U-2 spy planes, three E-3 radar surveillance places; two RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft; eight KC-135 air refueling aircraft, two C-130E

- In Oman: four B-1 bombers

- In Diego Garcia: 15 B-52 bombers; 16 KC-10 air refueling aircraft

STRATEGIC FORCES (outside the Gulf):

aircraft: 15 B-52 bombers based at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and also armed with cruise missiles, 16 KC-10 tanker aircraft.

Naval Forces in the Gulf

NAVAL FORCES: 18 Dec 1998

- Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which carries 10 F-14 Tomcat fighters, 36 F/A-18 Hornets, four EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare planes;

- Eight ships equipped to fire Tomahawk cruise missiles -- guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg; destroyers USS Paul Hamilton, USS Hopper, USS Stout, USS Fletcher, USS Hayler, USS Nicholson, attack submarine USS Miami. - Guided missile frigate USS Carr completes the Enterprise battle group

aircraft carriers: USS ENTERPRISE CVN65 and USS Carl Vinson
80 aircraft (including 60 strike aircraft): 10 F-14 Tomcat fighters, 36 F/A-18 attack fighters, four EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. The remainder are helicopters, surveillance and logistic support planes.
10.000 sailors and Marines.
-USN-
NNS4803. USS Enterprise Battle Group, USS Nassau Amphibious Ready Group begin deployment by 2nd Fleet Public Affairs NORFOLK (NNS) -- The USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Battle Group, with Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW 3) embarked, began a scheduled six-month deployment Nov. 6. Accompanying the aircraft carrier are two cruisers, four destroyers, two frigates, two submarines and a fast combat support ship. The USS Nassau (LHA 4) Amphibious Ready Group, with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked, will begin their deployment Nov. 13.
In all, more than 10,000 Sailors and Marines are departing their East Coast bases and home ports to relieve the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Battle Group and the USS Saipan (LHA 2) Amphibious Ready Group.
"The battle group and amphibious ready group are prepared to deploy, and serve the nation as instruments of our national policy," said Vice Adm. William J. Fallon, Commander, 2nd Fleet. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen on Tuesday announced that he had recommended to the president that the transit of USS Enterprise be accelerated to have the ship arrive in the Arabian Gulf by Nov. 23, instead of the planned arrival on Nov. 26. Secretary Cohen also recommended that the USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3) Amphibious Ready Group deploy from the Western Pacific Ocean to join Enterprise in the Gulf by Nov. 26.
The Enterprise Battle Group includes USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), USS Gettysburg (CG 64), USS Stout (DDG 55), USS Nicholson (DD 982), USS Klakring (FFG 42), USS Detroit (AOE 4), USS Miami (SSN 755) and USS Hampton (SSN 767). The Nassau Amphibious Ready Group includes USS Nashville (LPD 13) and USS Pensacola (LSD 38).
-USN-

USN latest news

U.S. Navy - Status of the Navy
CARRIER AIR WING ___ (USS Enterprise)

Naval Aviation in the Gulf, Feb 1998

Select the February 1998 Carriers and the Airwings from the interactive map below.

Interactive map: Naval Aviation in the Gulf '98

Select the carrier you want to visit from the image map above. . Selecting the E-2C Hawkeye will get you to the Navy E-2C Fact File.

CARRIER AIR WING ____
CARRIER AIR WING ____

Force Developments

981979. EAF rolls closer to reality

by Senior Master Sgt. Jim Katzaman
Air Force Print News

WASHINGTON -- With little more than a year left before concept becomes reality, plans for the expeditionary aerospace force are moving ahead.

After the New Year, Air Force officials will announce the lead wings for the first of 10 air expeditionary forces that will form the overall EAF. Meanwhile, the service has already activated the headquarters division that will guide EAF development.

Each move is another step toward full development of the expeditionary aerospace force concept by Jan. 1, 2000. With his staff working details large and small, the start-up date will arrive with the EAF ready to fly, according to Maj. Gen. Donald G. Cook, director for expeditionary aerospace force implementation.

"People in the field are enthusiastic about the EAF, but have many questions" the general said, adding that airmen anxiously want to know more about the organization that promises to bring more predictability to their lives. For them, Cook injected a word of caution.

"There's a level of detail people want to know about that we can't tell them yet because we don't have all the answers," he said. "We ask for their patience. And, we also need feedback from everyone on how we're executing the concept, especially as the first two AEFs begin deployment preparations in October."

Current plans call for announcing the first two air expeditionary forces in January, as part of the overall schedule. These units will each include fighter aircraft, tactical airlifters and support forces, which could respond to a wide array of wartime and humanitarian missions whenever the need arises.

Of the 10 air expeditionary forces planned, two of them will be on call or deployed to a foreign hot spot at any given time. Two more AEFs will be in final deployment preparation, while the remaining six organizations will continue with normal training and exercises, staying prepared for their turn on call.

With this system in place, the expeditionary aerospace force expects to provide commanders in the field a wide array of support comprised of:

-- Rapidly responsive forces;

-- Lighter, leaner and more lethal forces;

-- Forces tailored for specific needs;

-- More stable, predictable and available forces;

-- An integration of the total force (active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve); and

-- An institutionalized expeditionary culture.

For their part, Cook said airmen can also expect to see positive changes in the way they do business, as the EAF provides:

-- More predictable, stable schedules;

-- Support structure improvement; and

-- Use of the total force.

These changes will not take effect overnight, nor does the general promise instant success.

"We will probably have the 85-percent solution in place by 2000," Cook said. "This is a growing concept. We will find areas where we need to work harder as we venture forth. Remember, we are talking about a concept to move our Air Force forward into the 21st century."

Overall, however, the general sees the EAF in full operation as a great improvement over how the Air Force supports its people and customers.

"What the EAF will do depends on where you sit," Cook said. "If you're an airman in a deploying unit, you can have predictability in your life because you'll know when you'll deploy. Major commands can use the EAF as a force management tool. For theater commanders, the EAF will be a force presentation tool. For our country, this is the best way to present Air Force forces for the 21st century."

None of this would be possible, Cook said, without a complete reliance on airlift.

"Air Mobility Command is the key to making this work," he said. "They set up the air bridge to provide the global reach. They transport the people and supplies to make the EAF concept work. With AMC's help, we can deploy lighter, leaner and faster, and thus deploy more effectively."

Likewise, the general noted the vital role of the Guard and Reserve. With a well-planned role for the total force, he said, the overall deployment burden will ease for everyone in the Air Force -- active-duty, Reserve and Guard.

Cook explained while aerospace expeditionary forces will be on call or deployed for 90 days at a time, Guardsmen and Reservists will still rotate in and out of the deployed forces much as they do today. Aircraft and equipment will remain at deployed locations while Guardsmen and Reservists serve their normal tours.

The difference from today's routine, the general added, is that everyone can plan for their deployments up to 12 months in advance.

"America has always been a militia nation, to call on in times of crisis," Cook said. "Now we can call on our forces in a time of stability. They can predictably plan deployments. This rainbow of people into and out of the theater is one of our greatest assets."

"We're well on the way to building America's 21st century Air Force," Cook said. "We'll be more capable and more responsive, ready to meet our nation's needs."

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