A Map of the Persian Gulf Region you need to see ! DoD had plans

[EVDebs]

for deployments all along, it looks like, since this map is already a few years old but shows the planning had to have been in the (pardon the pun) pipeline for awhile.



from the article "Terror war and oil expand US sphere of influence
GIs build bases on Russia's energy-rich flank"

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0319/p01s04-wosc.html

And now that I mention it, the Joint Resolution authorizing war in Iraq http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021002-2.html
intentionally had language stating "Whereas it is in the national security of the United States to restore international peace and security to the Persian Gulf region" ... Looks like Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf and Eastern Mediterranean and and, well you get the idea.

And now they're sending more troops to Iraq, or was this planned out to happen this way ? Ray McGovern's article "Not Enough Troops – or Truth"

http://www.antiwar.com/mcgovern/index.php?articleid=3750 tells us

""But how many troops would be needed to stabilize Iraq? The well-respected International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, before which the president spoke last November, says 500,000. Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki told Congress publicly before the war that "several hundred thousand" troops would be needed. It turns out that he was asking for 400,000, fully aware that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was planning to attack and occupy Iraq with just a fraction of that. Rumsfeld gave him the back of his hand.""

If they knew GOING IN they'd need 500K and only put in 150K, this may have been the anticipated effect...in order to continue putting troops into overseas deployments, since the entire region of the Persian Gulf is 'war zone' with bases all over the place. The blowback is that if they can't neutralize Iraq alone, it begs the question how many troops will be needed for a second front somewhere ?

It's getting drafty.