WASHINGTON -- As the saying goes, while politicians and civilians like to think about strategy when contemplating war, generals think logistics. If the United States and any coalition partners go to war against Iraq, the first part of that logistics effort requires getting up to a quarter million combat troops from the U.S. to the Persian Gulf.
Without prejudging the desirability of waging a war to unseat Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, how long would it take to get ready for one, and how would it be done?
The answer, in rough terms, is that it would probably take the U.S. three months to position 250,000 troops in the vicinity of Iraq. As a matter of prudence, therefore, the Bush administration probably needs to make its final decision on war by November, if it is considering overthrowing Hussein this winter.