Remaining U.S. Forces in the Gulf
WASHINGTON — If the United States decides to use military force against suspected Iraqi nuclear operations, it has 50,000 troops, 15 warships and a secret number of planes in the region.
Stealth F-117 bombers remain in the Persian Gulf along with F-15, F-16 and F-4 fighter planes, A-10 “tank killers,” EF-111 electronic warfare planes and E-3 radar planes, the Defense Department said Friday.
Defense officials would not say how many planes are in the Gulf, but the Washington Post said 24 of the 42 F-117s that did most of the bombing of Baghdad during the Gulf War are still there.
The aircraft carrier Nimitz is in the Gulf area accompanied by two cruisers and three frigates, the Pentagon said. It said the aircraft carrier Forrestal is in the eastern Mediterranean with a guided missile cruiser ship, three unidentified warships are in the Red Sea and four others are in the Middle East.
The 50,000 U.S. troops still in the Gulf include more than 22,000 Army, 16,000 Navy, 6,500 Air Force and 4,500 Marines, the Pentagon said.
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