USA TODAY": Washington plans to establish an emergency force in Iraq

USA TODAY": Washington plans to establish an emergency force in Iraq

Agency eighth day
January 26, 2014







BAGHDAD - ((eighth day))

The newspaper "USA TODAY" U.S., scheme prepared by Washington to create an emergency military force of Marines in the Middle East will be able to intervene rapidly in the troubled Arab areas, particularly Iraq and Syria.



The paper said, that this force is similar to the unit of Marines in the area Moron, Spain, which was created after the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and will have the ability to send troops at any moment to secure embassies and U.S. interests and carry out the evacuation from Camp Amutir in the State of Djibouti.



The newspaper added that the force is not designed to fight wars, but to carry out a small task that requires a quick response Kakhala embassies, because the mood of the U.S. military is moving to complete the policy of small tasks quickly. (AA)

Original Article

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Plans are on for quick reaction force in Middle East

Jim Michaels, USA TODAY3:37 p.m. EST January 23, 2014


The idea is to place Marines closer to a region in near constant turmoil, including a civil war in Syria, a revolt in Egypt and a violent upsurge in Iraq.





(Photo: Adek Berry, AFP/Getty Images)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS Other forces are based in Spain and Djibouti
Forces were created after the September 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya
Forces have been deployed to African conflicts




WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps is developing plans to establish a contingency force that will be based in the Middle East and be capable of responding to crises throughout the troubled region.

The force is being planned as the United States reduces the size of its force in Afghanistan and has withdrawn combat forces from Iraq, shrinking its presence in a region plagued by violence and turmoil.

Planning for the force reflects an overall shift in strategy as the Pentagon winds up two large land wars and develops a smaller military designed for limited contingencies.

"The U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf is shifting from land to sea," said Loren Thompson, an analyst at the Lexington Institute. "That means greater reliance on the Marines for carrying out any missions on shore."

The force would be similar to a unit that the Marine Corps established in Moron, Spain, in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and would be capable of dispatching troops on a moment's notice to secure an embassy or evacuate Americans. An Army-led force operates out of the U.S. base at Camp Lemonnier in the East African nation of Djibouti.

The force is not designed to fight wars, but is organized and equipped to conduct small missions that require a quick response, such as evacuating an embassy under attack or securing U.S. property overseas.

The security environment is shifting toward "lots of little things that have to be done quickly," Thompson said.

The plans for the Marine force have not been finalized yet, said Capt. Eric Flanagan, a Corps spokesman.



Planners expect that the unit will maintain headquarters in Bahrain, a small Persian Gulf state that currently serves as headquarters to the U.S.Navy's 5th Fleet.

That will place the Marines closer to a region in near constant turmoil, including a civil war in Syria, a revolt in Egypt and a violent upsurge in Iraq.

The unit would operate under Central Command, the U.S. headquarters that oversees the war in Afghanistan and whose area of responsibility includes the Middle East.

STORY: Marines, Army form quick-strike forces for Africa

Planners have not yet determined the size of the force, but the unit based in Moron has more than 500 servicemembers.

The Marines in that unit are coupled with aircraft and can take off on a mission within an hour of getting orders.

One of the lessons from the Benghazi attack, which killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was the need for dedicated forces in the region that could respond quickly to a call for help

"Benghazi was shock to the administration," Thompson said.

Follow @jimmichaels on Twitter


U.S. rapid reaction teams have worked in South Sudan, where government troops are fighting rebels.(Photo: Jake Simkin, AP)



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