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Kuwait Denies Request to move Two U.S. Army HQs
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Kuwaiti minister: Decision to permit U.S. HQs "up to the political leadership"
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KUWAIT
CITY, October 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Kuwait has not
received any request from Washington to move two key U.S. military
headquarters to the emirate, Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak
al-Sabah said Sunday October 13.
"The
defense ministry has not received any official letter in regard to
stationing these forces (in Kuwait)," Agence France-Presse (AFP)
quoted Sheikh Jaber as telling the Kuwaiti Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper
of today.
"The
decision to permit these forces in Kuwait is up to the political
leadership," the Kuwaiti defense minister stressed.
U.S.
defense officials said in Washington Friday October 11, that the two
military headquarters of the U.S. Army's 5th Corps in Europe and the
1st Marine Expeditionary Force in California were preparing to move to
Kuwait.
The
officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said fewer than 1,000
troops would be moved with the U.S. Army's 5th Corps headquarters in
Europe and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters in
California.
But
they would lay the foundation for a much larger combat force on the
ground if President George W. Bush decides to launch a major military
action on Iraq.
"The
purpose is to get things into position to respond quickly if you're
asked," a U.S. defense official said. "We're not there
yet."
The
Pentagon had previously announced plans to move elements of the
Central Command's headquarters from Tampa, Florida, to Qatar in
November as part of an exercise that could form the nucleus of a
permanent U.S. command in the region.
The
army moved its regional headquarters for the Gulf to Kuwait from the
United States earlier this year.
CBS
News first reported that the Pentagon had ordered the 5th Corps and
the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to relocate their headquarters to
Kuwait.
In
confirming the report, the officials would not say how soon they are
expected to begin the move.
The
Fifth Corps and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force are frontline
combat forces that saw action in the 1991 Gulf War and have been used
since in military contingencies from Somalia to the Balkans.
Headquartered
in Heidelberg, Germany, the Fifth Corps consists of the 1st Armored
Division and the 1st Infantry Division.
It
is the only U.S. Army corps headquartered outside the United States
and it is the designated force for contingencies in Europe and the
Gulf.
About
5,000 of the command's troops currently are training in Poland.
The
1st Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Pendleton, California,
is built around air-ground task forces that can move swiftly to
distant theaters of war.
The
Pentagon in recent months has quietly moved armor, helicopters and
other equipment from Europe and the United States to the Gulf region,
as well as within the theater.
Some
10,000 U.S. troops are currently based in Kuwait, mainly at Camp Doha,
north of the city, which is also used to stockpile heavy equipment,
including tanks and artillery.
Equipment
for at least three armored brigades are currently positioned in
Kuwait.
A
Navy spokeswoman said the Navy plans to ship 867 pieces of
"rolling stock" from the U.S. west coast to the Gulf.
It
was unclear when it will move but the Navy had planned for a
mid-November delivery.
Additionally,
the navy has solicited bids for a cargo ship to move 253 pieces of
wheeled and track vehicles from Belgium and Italy to undisclosed
points in the Middle East.
It
was unclear whether the shipments were related to the headquarters
moves.
The
equipment "is going over there because we are repositioning some
of our military forces where required to prepare for and support the
president's campaign against terrorism," said Major Rob Riggle, a
Central Command spokesman.
The
overall number of U.S. forces in the region has crept up to about
58,000, but U.S. force levels have so far remained relatively stable.
The
United States currently maintains a single aircraft carrier in the
region, the USS Abraham Lincoln.
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