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CNN SHOWDOWN: IRAQ
Guns & Ammo
Aired March 17, 2003 - 12:27 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So what can we expect in the coming days? With some insight into U.S. war plans, we're joined by CNN military analyst and retired Army Brigadier General David Grange.
Now, just so you know, during his 30 years in the military, he served as ranger and a green beret, saw service from Vietnam to the 1991 Gulf War.
General Grange, thanks for being with us.
What should we be looking for in the region, on the ground in the next couple of days?
GEN. DAVID GRANGE, (RET.) CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, final preparations for any kind of war plan that may come their way. It's going to change. Planning always changes depending on the enemy situation. Very similar to what you just talked to Barbara about. If there's indications that chemicals may be used, there will be additional plans made to take care of that. Because even if it's a rumor, even if it's disinformation, the troops in the region have to plan as if it may happen, just to protect the force.
And then you're going to have a reshuffling of organizations in the region or new forces coming into the region that haven't arrived yet, positioned throughout the theater of operations. So that's what you'll be seeing in the next few days, I think.
COOPER: Are U.S. troops ready to go?
GRANGE: U.S. troops, I believe, are ready to go. A commander in a situation like this -- and It's the same for the British command as well -- because you're responsible for the lives of your troopers, you never feel you've done everything you can. You never feel you're 100 percent. There's always something you learn about that causes you to think, gee, I got to get ready for that, I've got to tweak this training a little bit, I need to get this other little piece of equipment, and it goes on and on, and it should go on and on like that, and that's the way you should feel, because commanders have that moral responsibility to have their troops ready to go regardless of the time they're asked to go or the type of fight they're going to be put in.
COOPER: It's not often in news that we talk about the phases of the moon, but that's something military commander may be looking at very closely. I understand, April 1st -- you're seeing a graphic right there -- it's a dark moon, as they call it, complete darkness. April 25th is the half moon. Looking like a full moon, April 16th. What kind of import does this have?
GRANGE: Well, this is part of the equation. If you back off a little bit before April 1st, I think the moon starts to wane around the 27th, 28th of March.
COOPER: I believe it's a full moon tomorrow, March 18th. That's just from memory.
GRANGE: I believe so.
And so the coalition forces, because of the advantages they have from night vision technology and the ability to train and fight at night, would rather go at night, because it negated some of the optical-guided munitions that the Iraqis would rely on. When they use radar, when they can't see, that lights up their systems and U.S. and Brit forces can take them out. So U.S. forces want to go in the dark, but it's not a requirement, but it helps.
COOPER: You want darkness, but you want a little bit of light, because that optical equipment works off a little bit of moonlight, is my understanding, right?
GRANGE: Or star light. A little bit of ambient light will help, of course, but you'd rather have it more on dark side than the light side.
COOPER: All right, it's often said the U.S. military owns the night. For their sake, let's hope it true.
General David Grange, appreciate you for joining us right now.
We're going to go to Richard Roth live at the United Nations.
Richard, what do you have.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, we're told by a diplomat, has made the decision to withdraw the weapons inspectors from Iraq. He has told the Security Council this, in closed door meetings which continue at this moment. Earlier in the meaning, Annan met with Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector.
A spokesman for Blix's inspectors inside Iraq said they believe they will start evacuate evacuating Tuesday. We are told by a diplomat that Annan did not give a specific time window, but it is generally believed it might be within the 24-hour window.
Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency said they, too, had gotten the word from a U.S. administration official who is advising both sets of inspections that it would be best to leave -- Anderson.
COOPER: Richard, there has been talk the last couple of days, possibly of Hans Blix making a last-minute trip to Baghdad. That would seem to be a no-go at this point, is that correct? ROTH: It would seem to be impossible for him and ElBaradei to go in while his inspectors are coming out at this point. That trip looks like a no-go.
COOPER: All right, Richard Roth, live at the U.N., thanks.
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