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The U.S. and Britain have in place elements of a plan--that could be executed with or without additional allies--to gut Iraq's key Republican Guard units with air attacks, freeze the production or release of chemical and biological weapons with new microwave weapons and keep the regular army confined to its garrisons, unharmed, through a combination of information and psychological warfare. With the U.S. repair of three Kurdish-controlled air bases in northern Iraq almost finished, a gradual buildup of allied forces in the Persian Gulf states underway, key elite special operations units retraining after being withdrawn from Afghanistan, U.S. changes of command nearly complete and inventories of precision-guided munitions being restocked, many analysts now believe the U.S. postelection period--December-February--is the most likely time to launch an attack. A winter attack would give time for completion of the offensive, consolidation of a new Iraqi government and reconstitution of the Iraqi army for police and border guard duties before the heat of a Middle East summer makes campaigning difficult. But so far, "there's no timetable," a senior Air Force official said. "The Joint Chiefs of Staff are not buying an October attack. The administration still needs justification for an offensive, and the Pentagon needs to be able to use surprise." Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) agreed. The Foreign Relations Committee chairman said that President Bush told him last week there was no time set for an attack. Military officials suggest that an offensive as late as February would still leave enough time to complete an attack and install an interim government before the hot weather intervenes. Pentagon planners say they "see things on a daily basis" that would provide the instigation necessary for the U.S. to take military action. If enough data of egregious activity such as preparation for chemical and biological attacks accumulates, it may provide the administration with justification for a U.S.-British attack even without a congressional debate, they say. The plan preferred by the Pentagon would not involve a major ground attack on Baghdad and the urban fighting that would entail. It would begin, predictably, with heavy bombing and cruise missile attacks to break down air defenses and command and control. The register of what is hopefully termed regime-changing targets to be attacked from the air would include "command and control, intelligence-gathering, air defense, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), palaces and locations that harbor his leadership," USAF Lt.
Approximate Word count = 1538
Approximate Pages = 6.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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