ZoNotes
Arrows In the Quiver
I'm writing at 2324 hours Tuesday night, slightly under the 48-hour umbrella President Bush offered to Iraqi dicator Saddam Hussein and his two sons to leave Iraq or face direct military action. I say "umbrella" and not "deadline" because like an umbrella, the time frame could fold inward if Iraq A) prepares to sabotage the country's own material wealth or B) launch a preemptive strike on Israel or coalition ground forces with chemical warheads delivered by mobile artillery pieces or SCUD-series ballistic missiles.
Coalition units have been "at war", so to speak, for at least a month. Couple the reports of American and allied special forces operators already in Iraq with the accelerated air campaign under the no-fly zones administered as part of Operations Northern and Southern Watch, and you get a better understanding of Allied efforts to prepare the battlefield for the likely hostilities.
There exists a narrow, distant opportunity that coalition forces will be engaged in combat by the time you read this. Of course, it is also possible that there could be a full day after the expiration of the 2-day umbrella before any coalition forces begin their attack. As the television pundits have noted, in a strategic vein allied planning is clear. There is no "surprise" as such. However, at the operational and tactical level, allied units still maintain a degree of unpredictability to the point where "shock and awe" can be utilized to the utmost.
Arrows In the Quiver
I'm writing at 2324 hours Tuesday night, slightly under the 48-hour umbrella President Bush offered to Iraqi dicator Saddam Hussein and his two sons to leave Iraq or face direct military action. I say "umbrella" and not "deadline" because like an umbrella, the time frame could fold inward if Iraq A) prepares to sabotage the country's own material wealth or B) launch a preemptive strike on Israel or coalition ground forces with chemical warheads delivered by mobile artillery pieces or SCUD-series ballistic missiles.
Coalition units have been "at war", so to speak, for at least a month. Couple the reports of American and allied special forces operators already in Iraq with the accelerated air campaign under the no-fly zones administered as part of Operations Northern and Southern Watch, and you get a better understanding of Allied efforts to prepare the battlefield for the likely hostilities.
There exists a narrow, distant opportunity that coalition forces will be engaged in combat by the time you read this. Of course, it is also possible that there could be a full day after the expiration of the 2-day umbrella before any coalition forces begin their attack. As the television pundits have noted, in a strategic vein allied planning is clear. There is no "surprise" as such. However, at the operational and tactical level, allied units still maintain a degree of unpredictability to the point where "shock and awe" can be utilized to the utmost.
posted by Lorenzo at
11:37 PM
