Fox News
Oct 13 2007
Pentagon Plans for Alternate Supply Routes If Turkey Restricts Access
Saturday, October 13, 2007
ANKARA, Turkey – There are about 60,000 Turkish troops along the
country’s southern border, but the U.S. military is seeing no
activity to suggest an imminent offensive against Kurdish rebels in
northern Iraq, U.S. officials said.
As tensions mount between the U.S. and Turkey over a congressional
resolution condemning the killings of Armenians a century ago as
genocide, the Pentagon is both watching the border for troop
movements, and planning for contingencies if Turkey restricts access
to critical supply routes there.
A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because
of the sensitivity of the situation, said Friday that any offensive
by Turkey into what has been a relatively peaceful area of northern
Iraq would likely involve airstrikes and mortar fire.
But so far, the official said, there has been no evidence of Turkish
soldiers massing along the border. The number of troops there isn’t
unusual, the official said.
U.S. military officials have said they believe they will get some
type of warning if the Turks launch an incursion into Iraq against
the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. For years, the United
States has routinely had military representatives with the Turkish
armed forces.
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Passed by U.S. Lawmakers The United States has consistently argued
against a Turkish offensive, pushing instead for a broader diplomatic
solution between Iraq and Turkey over the problem of the rebel PKK.
But of equal concern, however, is what impact the congressional
resolution will have on U.S. military supply routes that have been
used recently to move much-needed armored vehicles to troops in Iraq.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee this week passed a resolution
labeling the World War I-era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians
by Ottoman Turks genocide. Turkey has argued that the toll has been
inflated and the killings were the result of civil war and unrest.
Turkish authorities have not said whether further congressional
action would prompt Turkey to shut down Incirlik air base in southern
Turkey, a major hub for U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Iskenderun is also used
to ferry goods to American troops.
And U.S. military officials said Friday that they have seen no
indications of repercussions yet from the Turks.
But the Pentagon has dusted off contingency plans that would reroute
supplies and arms if transportation through Turkey or across its
airspace is restricted. There is more "focused planning" as a result
of the congressional action, the official said.
One key impact could be on the delivery of mine-resistant
ambush-protected vehicles (MRAPs) that the Pentagon has been trying
to rush to Iraq. The vehicles give troops better protection against
roadside bombs.
Officials are looking at plans to reroute those deliveries around
Turkey if needed. Other supply routes – including those used during
the ramp up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 – could involve Kuwait
and Jordan.
There also have been concerns that Turkey may cut off military
contracts with the U.S.
Some of Turkey’s largest recent purchases through the Pentagon’s
foreign military sales programs were $1.7 billion for F-16 aircraft;
$1.6 billion (euro1.1 billion) to upgrade already owned F-16s, and to
purchase four Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (AWACS) with an overall
value of about $3 billion.
Turkey also bought torpedoes in an $80 million sale as part of a
program to modernize its navy.
The U.S. each year budgets money under its foreign military financing
program – essentially money given to Turkey to buy U.S. military
equipment. Turkey received $34 million in budget year 2005 and $15
million in each of the next two years under that program.
The U.S. also budgeted $3 million in each of the last three fiscal
years for Turkey in the international military education and training
program, according to the State Department. The money was used to
help Turkey transform its military to meet some European Union
standards as well as provide other training and skills.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress