Can U.S. forces defeat Iraqs military even without bases in the region?
The experts agreed Iraq would be defeated but disagreed on how large a force would be required, how long it would take, and whether any bases would be needed. Most thought Iraq’s armed forces are considerably weaker than at the time of the 1991 Gulf War. But the size and composition of the U.S. force now needed was disputed between “hawks,” who think Iraq can be defeated quickly by a massive air assault plus limited ground forces, and the cautious experts who favor an invading force of perhaps 250,000, including air and naval power. Proponents of relying primarily on air power claim its size could be between 80-100,000. The dispute over force requirements is at the heart of the current Pentagon delay in producing a war plan that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld can formally lay before the president, and eventually take to Congress.. On the issue of bases, Anthony Cordesman, an expert on Middle East warfare and former Pentagon official, recalled for the senators that during the Gulf War ev
