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http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/today/others/for5.htm The Nation (Pakistan) July 25, 2002 US Navy to have floating commando base -Bob Andrews, who heads the Pentagon�s office of Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, envisions a day when US commandos will roam the globe ��as beat cops.�� ��We�ve gotta have special operations forces operating on a continual basis around the world,�� Andrews says, reports the paper. >From Humayun Akhtar NEW YORK�In the latest sign the Pentagon is beefing up for future anti-terrorist raids, the Navy wants to build a floating base of operations to sail commandos around the globe. The first-of-its-kind operations platform, which Navy officials hope Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld will approve, would build on the success of the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk as a temporary launching pad for special operations helicopters into Afghanistan, reports USA Today. Such a mobile, offshore base would give the Pentagon more ways to move special operations troops into areas where they would have no land bases and might not have the co-operation of neighbouring countries. ��It�s an interesting idea, well worth pursuing,�� says Richard Danzig, who was secretary of the Navy during the Clinton administration. The proposal demonstrates the military�s emphasis on special operations troops and the unorthodox thinking that many in the defence establishment say is necessary to win the war on terrorism. During the early stages of the war on terrorism last fall, the Navy sailed the Kitty Hawk from its base in Japan to the Arabian Sea. To clear space for hundreds of special operations troops and their gear, the Navy removed all but eight fighter jets from the flight deck. The Navy is considering three options for the new ship: installing a flight deck on a large commercial or military cargo ship; modifying the soon-to-retire USS Constellation or continuing to use active carriers for the job. A decision will be made by Secretary of the Navy Gordon England and Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, then passed on to Mr Rumsfeld, Navy officials say. Officials say no timetable has been set for the decision, and it�s unclear which option is favoured. Although the major factor driving the Navy�s proposal is gaining added flexibility to position US forces, another consideration is cost, officials say. Using an active carrier would be the most expensive option, Navy officials say. With a crew of more than 5,000, an aircraft carrier costs about $450 million a year to operate. The other proposals � adding a flight deck to a cargo ship or modifying a retiring carrier and using a smaller crew � would be cheaper. Ronald O�Rourke, a naval analyst at the Congressional Research Service, estimates it would cost in the ��tens of millions�� of dollars to convert a commercial or military cargo ship to a mobile commando base. But a converted cargo ship would not be as fast as a carrier, O�Rourke says. US carriers can sail up to 35 miles per hour. The Navy�s large cargo ships have a top speed about 27 miles per hour, but that would probably be reduced with the addition of a flight deck. Some Navy officials also worry that using active carriers as a commando base would tie up valuable assets and diminish the Navy�s presence in other hot spots. If the US Navy were to select a carrier that is about to be retired for the mission, the most likely choice is the USS Constellation, a conventionally powered ship slated to retire in 2003. The Pentagon�s interest in a floating platform underscores a new military reality � in which special operations troops such as Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs will be called upon for overseas missions more frequently. Bob Andrews, who heads the Pentagon�s office of Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, envisions a day when US commandos will roam the globe ��as beat cops.�� ��We�ve gotta have special operations forces operating on a continual basis around the world,�� Andrews says, reports the paper. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
