Live From the Pentagon

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The UK indicates that it has no problems with you using Deigo  Garcia as you propose as it clearly falls within the terms of the US lease.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps respectfully points out to the Secretary of Defense that the 2nd MAW and 3rd MAW are not equivalent units and that the 2nd MAW contains the Marine air units best capable of establishing forward air bases where existing suitable facilities are not already present.  In addition, the units of the 3rd MAW (other than MAG-39) are unlikely to contribute significantly to the carrying out of the Secretary's stated plans for Sudan as he has indicated them to be.

[The Duke]

The UK indicates that it has no problems with you using Deigo  Garcia as you propose as it clearly falls within the terms of the US lease.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps respectfully points out to the Secretary of Defense that the 2nd MAW and 3rd MAW are not equivalent units and that the 2nd MAW contains the Marine air units best capable of establishing forward air bases where existing suitable facilities are not already present.  In addition, the units of the 3rd MAW (other than MAG-39) are unlikely to contribute significantly to the carrying out of the Secretary's stated plans for Sudan as he has indicated them to be.

I should be more specific.  The elements of 3rd MAW are the 11th and 13th MAG and the elements of 2nd MAW are the 14th and 31st MAG, all fixed wing fighters-bombers (F-18s and Harriers).  We are also deploying the tankers and countermeasures aircraft associated with the two air wings.

I am not deploying our helicopters, since they are vulnerable to ground fire.  Resupply of munitions will be done by cargo ships and cargo planes.

I don't quite see how deploying aircraft and pilots that specialize in CAS will not help me achieve my goals.  I don't need to build my own facilities, since Chad and Eritrea have already promised to provide suitable bases.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

No, they agreed to let you base there.  Neither country has facilities suitable for just plopping down an F/A-18 squadron and operating from there, altho they do have sufficient air strips to operate (provided that you provide the equipment) some forces.  If you try to base the 14th and 31st MAG out of Chad, you would just barely be able to operate them form their existing facilities, but only at the cost of nothing else using their few paved runways.  Chad is willing to be hospitable, but not that hospitable.  The 13th MAG isn't much of a problem as Harriers are designed to make do with unimproved airfields, but there is absolutely no way that the existing airfields in Eritrea can handle the entire 11th MAG.  Five airports with paved runways for seven F/A-18 squadrons isn't feasible especially not when other air traffic will be needing to use them as well, and Chad has only 6 usable airfields for the Hornet (7 paved airfields, but one has runways that are too short for the Hornet)  Deploying the Harriers and helicopters is fairly simple as they are designed so that they can use rude facilities, but Hornets require paved runways of sufficient length which both Chad and Eritrea have in short supply.

In short, you can base six Hornet Squdrons in Chad, and five in Eritrea and in addition you can base two Marine EA-6B Prowler squadrons out of the smallest paved Chad airfield or one Prowler squadron could be colocated with any of the Hornets.  I don't think you could flood either Eritrea or Chad with enough Harriers or Helicopters to overwhelm their unpaved airfields using just the 2nd and 3rd MAW's.  Maybe both combined would prove too much for Eritrea   Also, all this assumes that any aerial tankers or cargo planes would be based elsewhere as well as far as maintenence and such are considered.

I'll admit that I misunderstood from your previous comments the sort of air war you were planning on fighting.   I had thought you were aiming for a Afghanistan-style campaign rather than a Kosovo-style campaign.

[The Duke]

*These comments are off the record, you civilians without clearance never saw this*

Ernest,

I misunderstood, I thought Chad and Eritrea had offered up sufficient facilities for me to operate straight away.  I'll scrounge up some support units to put some quality facilities together (Marine Wing Support Group 27 of the 2nd MAW, and Marine Wing Support Group 47 of the 4th MAW can do this).  Until then, the Marines will be on alert and preparing to go, but not going yet.

It is going to be a lot like Afghanistan, with local fighters recieving air support from the US.  Kosovo was more of a Chinese water torture strategic bombing campaign to get Milosevic to surrender.

A place to station tankers, eh?  Would the always helpful Oman be willing to stage tankers?  They've been very ccooperative in the past with the war on terror.  I like those guys.

[The Duke]

All Coast Guard, NYPD,and port Authority officials have been put on red alert, the highest possible alert level in the terror warning system, in response to the terror attack this morning.  The attack was minor, and will certainly not damage our country in the long run.  It does however remind us that the enemy in this war is reckless, determined, and resourceful, and has no intention of changing its ways.

I await further reports from the scene myself, and will relay them to you when I recieve them.  Local police and Homeland Security personnel are capable of handling what is going on, but the increased alert level was important, given the wave of new information, the number of cells being broken up, and now this attack showing that Al Qaeda is quite determind to hit us again soon, and its possible that the next attack will be worse.

[Niles Caulder]

Secretary Ford,

There is a great deal of rumbling--aggravated by today's incident--regarding the fact our involvments in Africa will make us even less able to defend our own shores in these troubled times, as Sudan is irrelevent to the War on Terror.  This is on top of already strong opinions by many analysts who say we're simply overextended, and stuck that way.  Did the administration take an unnessary gamble?  Can you give us further comment?  Thank you.

[The Duke]

First of all, we have not taken a gamble because we have not done anything yet.

Second, it is inaccurate to say the Sudan is not relevant to the war on terror.  They harbored bin Laden and their government's guiding philosophy is that of the Muslim Brotherhood.  I'd recommend reading Chapter 2 of the 9/11 Commission report for background.

Lastly, the resources used if we do act in Sudan will be entirely different than those required to defend New York from mortar attacks.

[Niles Caulder]

Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

[Very good response!!  Way to trip up a journalist who didn't say "the genocide of Sudan..."  Those are some skills, brother!]

[The Duke]

1st and 3rd Army Ranger Brigades will be practicing parachuting into hostile and disputed areas this weekend.  Wink wink.

[The Duke]

In response to the Sadr uprising in Najaf, I have now ordered the coalition commanders in the field to target Muqtada Al-Sadr himself.  Sadr is the leader of an anti-democratic, anti-US uprising and needs to be killed.

For any Iraqi that brings Sadr to us, there will be a significant financial reward.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The Iraqi government tells you to define "target" befire you start doing so.  (i.e., target as in actively going after him, or target as in if he shows up in some Marine's sights by chance, the Marine is free to shoot.)

[The Duke]

I want Sadr to be killed, and I want the US commander in the area to call in airpower or artillery, whichever gives him the best chance at the time with the fewest civilian deaths, to kill Muqtada Al-Sadr.

I'm sure he's hiding to some extent, but if we find out where he is, the commander should call in an air strike to kill him.  We are actively hunting Sadr.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

It's late, I should have been in bed an hour ago and I'm heading there immediately after posting this, but there is no way that the Iraqi Interim Government can acquiese in your manhunt now, not with it having been phrased the way you did as if their concerns were of no concern, not if they hope to remain in power.  The coalition is ordered by the Iraqi Government to pull its forces out of Nasaf and leave it up to Iraqi forces to deal with the situation there.

[The Duke]

I will not kill Sadr until this is sorted out, but the interim Iraqi Government doesn't have the power to call of the Marines off since we have no status of forces aggreement.  The Marines are under American command, which means that the only person who can tell those Marines to leave Najaf is the President of the United States and myself, and not Iyad Allawi.

The United States Marines remain in Najaf, and shall continue killing Mehdi militiamen at a rate of 100 for every Marine killed.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5898679&pageNumber=0

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

You know, if you had quietly approached the Iraqiis they might have put a little sugar coating on it, but they would have gone along with what you wanted to do.  Instead, you've given Iyad Allawi two bad choices appear to be an American lap dog or to cut you off at the knees. I don't think Allawi is a lapdog or desires to appear to be one.  See the next issue of the The Region, appearing soon for the news.

[The Duke]

We're not treating him like a lapdog.  But he does not control US forces in the field.  We don't deploy troops under foreign command.

[The Duke]

We believe that the root cause of this Sadr issue is not about substance, but process.  The root cause of the collapse of process is the lack of a status of forces agreement.  I am going to Baghdad to negotiate one, so that these kinds of disputes can be avoided in the future.

Biden was right, we need a SOFA.

And for the record, I don't think I should have to formally contact the interim iraqi authority since there isn't one to contact.  For all intents and purposes, this whole thing is a figment of our imaginations anyway.

[The Duke]

I just re-read this thread and it seems there is a misunderstanding.  The first post I made, the one announcing that Sadr was a target, was ambiguously worded on purpose.  The second post, which caused all the trouble whereas the first caused only speculation and questions, was not meant to be on the record.  I was simply clarifying for the GM exactly what we were planning to do.  If the IIG is angry about the second post and not the first one, they should know that the second post was not meant to be an on the record statement.

I still think the whole notification thing is crap, since there is no Allawi to contact.

[The Duke]

I am announcing the second phase of the restructuring of the armd forces, aimed at moving away from the previous administrations focus on light vehicles and moving back to traditional legacy systems and heavy forces.

We are cancelling the manned ground vehicle portion of the Future Combat System project and cancelling any further deployment of the Stryker vehicle.  This decision frees up just shy of $2 billion a year.

This money will be redirected to the Crusader program.  The Crusader will begin deploying to replace the old Paladin in the next fiscal year.

[The Duke]

Good morning, members of the media.  I have some information on the explosion off Cape Cod.

The ship Hamburg Trinidad, of the Hamburg Arabia Line and an Antiguan flagged ship, was intercepted by a Coast Guard Cutter off the coast on Boston for inspection.  This is part of the program we strated not long ago to help with understaffing at three ports, Long Beach, Boston, and Jacksonville.

Once intercepted, the ship exploded with a nuclear-size blast.  The cutter and the Hamburg Trinidad are lost, as are all crew of both ships.

Other information will be released as it is declassified.  A sketchy picture of what is going on has emerged.

[Niles Caulder]

Mr. Secretary!  Mr. Secretary!  Who do you think is responsible!?  When will we hear from the President!?!

[Left in the dust along with the rest of the sea of baying reporters...]

[The Duke]

To answer Mr. Caulder's question, we think we know exactly who is responsible, but we will not disclose that just yet.  We want to make sure we know before casting about aspertions.

As you all know, we were raised to Red Alert after the New York attack and we had mobilized the Coast Guard to deal with personnel shortages at ports.  I believe that the actions of this administration kept this bomb from exploding in the city of Boston, and saved tens of thousands of lives.

[ilikeverin]

Mr. Secretary!  Mr. Secreatry!  Bella Goth here from the ILVNS!  Were there any casualties on shore?

[7,052,770]

Mr. Secretary!  Mr. Secreatry!  Bella Goth here from the ILVNS!  Were there any casualties on shore?

Bella Goth eh?  Have you hired Bob Newbie also

[The Duke]

There were no casualties onshore.  However, the crews of both ships were lost.

Actually, let me rephrase that.  The cutter crew was lost, the crew of the Hamburg Trinidad was killed while trying to smuggle a nuclear warhead into our country.