John Pike
US Forces Order of Battle - 17 July
Thu Jul 17 14:49:09 2003
208.152.73.1

US Forces Order of Battle - 17 July
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat.htm

This is a "best available" listing of US forces deployed to the Central Command AOR for Southwest Asia and for US forces deployed to European Command's locations in Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria. It does not include forces deployed exclusively for operations in Central Asia though it may at times list units are involved in both Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.

The task of developing a comprehensive listing of US forces present in the area is particularly difficult as forces have been known to rotate in and out of the region in response to heightened operational tempo or exercises. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 and the Global War on Terrorism has made such an effort significantly more difficult as the military seeks to improve operational security and to deceive potential enemies and the media, among others.

Furthermore, the volume of troops moving in and out of the region will surely result in mistakes, misidentifications, or ignorance regarding specific units.

Exluding forces deployed in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom, there are probably about 195,000 military personnel in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, including about 500 aircraft of all types. The number of troops deployed in the area fluctuates on a daily basis as new forces surge into the region and some units begin to return to the United States.

Ground Forces in the region include a Patriot missile task force with two batteries deployed in Saudi Arabia and two in Kuwait. Virtually all of 3rd Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, 4th Infantry Division, 1st Armored Division, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and an element of the 82nd Airborne Division have been deployed to Iraq. There are a significant number of echelon above division support units in the region. It is believed that the total Army presence in the region is nearly 108,000 soldiers. Army equipment figures are based on standard Tables of Organization and Equipment for the units deployed. The number of Army mechanized equipment actually on the ground is thought to be roughly 814 M1 Abrams and 549 M2 Bradleys. There are 250 AH-64 Apache helicopters in the region.

The US Air Force's Expeditionary Air and Space Force (EAF) concept and organization sets a guideline for Air Force deployments to operational locations. The EAF is comprised of 10 Aerospace Expeditionary Forces (AEF) each with lead combat and support wings including on-call wings that could be deployed if required. Deployments for active duty units lasts roughly 90-days while Reserve and Guard units deploy typically for 30 - 60 days. In an effort to provide relief to pilots that had been deployed for prolonged periods of time the Air Force initiated a "Blue" rotation that would bring new assets to the region. It is not clear just how many airmen are deployed, though the number is likely to be around 10,000 with roughly 250 aircraft of all types.

Naval units include a headquarters and shore-based units comprised of about 1,200 people at Manama in Bahrain. Nearly a thousand civilian mariners are associated with Military Sealift Command ships at Diego Garcia. During the 1990s overall Naval force personnel levels in the CENTCOM AOR typically varied between 8,000 and 15,000. Each Carrier Battle Group, with its associated Carrier Air Wing, has approximately 11,000 sailors embarked. As of 15 July 2003 there was one carrier strike group and one amphibious ready group in the area for a total of around 61,000 naval personnel. These units included about 175 helicopters and aircraft. A total of about 449 Vertical Launch System cells are available for Tomahawk cruise missiles, which is roughly three times the average number typically deployed in recent years. Based on estimates of prior deployments, perhaps as many as 250 Tomahawks are actually deployed. The cruise missile force can be augmented significantly within days.

Note: While this listing is dated, one should keep in mind that the page is often edited numerous times during a particular edition, sometimes daily. One should visit the page often to get the most up-to-date listing of the situation.
MORE HERE:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat.htm

# On July 17, 2003, a story in the Wall Street Journal reports that the DoD plans to call-up some 10,000 National Guard soldiers from two Brigades. Assuming that those units receive notification and go on active duy by the middle of August (National Guard soldiers are permitted one month to put their affairs in order) those units may not arrive in Iraq until March or April 2004 as units will need to be trained.
# Bloomberg.com reported on July 16, 2003 that the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division may be deployed to Iraq as a demonstration of the Army's Stryker. Bloomberg indicates that the Department of Defense appears to be leaning in that direction, though it is not clear when an announcement may occur. This would also be somewhat unusual as the Army has only one certified Stryker Brigade, which was to be rotated out to South Korea in an effort to bolster forces there

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http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/hotdocs.htm 

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