This
came as Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced that his forces
could be deployed to the Middle East within weeks in preparation for the
looming war.
The
3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division climbed onto a charter jet for
the long flight to the Gulf, hours after pre-dawn tearful good-byes at
their home base at Fort Benning, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The
soldiers are among some 4,000 sent to the region this week.
They
will meet up with two other U.S. military brigades for a total of some
16,000 troops near what could be the front lines in a U.S.-led invasion
of Iraq.
The
soldiers belong to a combat division, which uses tanks and personnel
carriers to move quickly across the battlefield.
"The
units will train together, continue to hone their particular skills, and
await further orders," said Tim Hale, the brigade public affairs
specialist.
These
men - combat units are comprised almost entirely of men - just returned
from several months in Kuwait. They are now returning after only a
month-long break.
Dressed
in desert camouflage fatigues, boots and helmets, and carrying all their
gear and weapons on their backs, the soldiers shuffled through the
processing line, and then onto the plane.
Some
squeezed out last minute cell phone calls from the tarmac.
"After
spending so much time in Kuwait, we're about as ready as we can
be," said Captain Doug Philippone, who leads an infantry unit that
just spent nine months in the Gulf.
Their
month in the United States was spent checking their equipment, and
preparing for the quick turn around.
"It's
kind of hard on the families. But we're ready to go. The Army has to be
prepared for what the President wants to do. We're soldiers, that's what
we do," Philippone said.
President
George W. Bush has threatened to use military force to disarm Iraq of
alleged weapons of mass destruction.
Australian
Troops Ready for War: Howard
 |
"It remains
the hope of the Australian government that this can be resolved
without resort to military force," Howard
|
Within the same context, while arguing that Australia had made no final
decision on joining up a potential U.S. military offensive against Iraq,
Premier Howard announced Friday that Australian forces could be deployed
to the Gulf within weeks.
Howard
said his government had given the green light for an Australian
contingent led by special forces troops to head for the region.
But
he also appealed for U.N. inspectors to be given more time to complete
their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before a decision
is taken on possible military action against Baghdad.
Howard
broke off his New Year's holiday Friday to chair a special meeting on
Iraq of his National Security Committee, a top-level panel of senior
cabinet ministers, military brass and intelligence officials.
Although
he has long been one of the staunchest supporters of Bush's tough line
on Iraq, Howard reiterated the "Australian government has not yet
taken a decision to be involved in military action."
"It
remains the hope of the Australian government that this can be resolved
without resort to military force. We do not want war," he said.
"But
we remain determined to join others in the international community to
ensure this matter is dealt with properly, not papered over, not
ignored."
"In
that context it could be over the weeks ahead that there will be some
forward deployment of assets and personnel to the region," Howard
said.
He
elaborated that the deployment would be "broadly comparable"
to Australia's role in Afghanistan, which involved some 1,500 support
troops and 150 special forces commandos fighting alongside U.S. and
British soldiers.
In
addition, Australia would likely offer three navy vessels, up to a
squadron of 14 FA-18 "Hornet" fighter jets and P-3 Orion
surveillance aircraft, he said.
Howard
denied reports a light armored brigade or any ground troops beyond the
SAS commandos would be committed and dismissed as ridiculous any
comparisons with Australia's major commitment of forces during the
Vietnam war.
The
leader of the main opposition Labor Party, Simon Crean, accused Howard
of paying only lip service to diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
"He
wants to pretend he's talking about a diplomatic solution but all he's
talking about is preparing for war," he said.
The
U.N. inspectors are due to issue a comprehensive report on January 27
detailing Iraq's compliance with Security Council Resolution 1441 and
many have seen this as a make-or-break deadline for Baghdad.
Friday's
meeting in Canberra came after U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix
told the UN Security Council Thursday his teams had found no
"smoking gun" evidence of banned weapons in Iraq, but added
Baghdad had failed to answer many questions about its arms programs.
