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2006-02-17 Arabia
Pentagon to abandon Mideast bases in favor of smaller rapid deployment forces
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Posted by Alaska Paul 2006-02-17 17:19|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 the command also has been provided access to a British Air Force base in the Republic of Cyprus.

That slipped under the radar. I've been wondering for a while, why the US doesn't make use of the British sovereign bases in Cyprus. They are an ideal staging point for a lot of the middle east, Syria in particular. To date, there has just been a small USAF reconnaisance unit based there.
Posted by phil_b">phil_b  2006-02-17 18:16|| http://autonomousoperation.blogspot.com/]">[http://autonomousoperation.blogspot.com/]  2006-02-17 18:16|| Front Page Top

#2 I think the absence of long-term US military presence in the Middle East would contribute even more to regional instability, but what do I know.
Posted by Whutch Threth6418 2006-02-17 18:28||   2006-02-17 18:28|| Front Page Top

#3 Given the obvious advantages of having permanent bases in the region, there is only one reason not to: vulnerability to attack.

I think that we were planning to have a major permanent command in Iraq, a peer with CENTCOM, but we have decided that it would be just too easy to decapitate it or neutralize major forward operating bases. By splitting resources between countries, an enemy would have to attack most of the Middle Eastern nations simultaneously, a very tricky gambit.

As a side note, I notice that they didn't mention Afghanistan in this. Hmmm.
Posted by Anonymoose 2006-02-17 19:17||   2006-02-17 19:17|| Front Page Top

#4 We already have Rota in Spain - looks like if we roll our eyes and make threatening Islamic-type noises we can get as much as we want - call Al-American-Andalucia
Posted by Frank G">Frank G  2006-02-17 19:56||   2006-02-17 19:56|| Front Page Top

#5 GLOBAL MISSLE DEFENSE + MOBILE OFFSHORE BASING > the USA, once fully operational, will have the ability to destroy at random enemy missles, conventional and nuclear, from space long before any US-Allied ground-tactical milfors arrive on-scene. Ditto for enemy conventional forces and support systems. THE ARMY, USAF, and USDOD are already making LT plans to turn GMD assets outwards toward deep space, for defense against asteroids, or high school time travelers from the distant future trying to land their spacetour buses at Roswell [D **** ALIEN KIDS].
Posted by JosephMendiola 2006-02-17 23:47||   2006-02-17 23:47|| Front Page Top

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