Third US Aircraft Carrier Within Striking Distance of Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 04, 2003

Third US Aircraft Carrier Within Striking Distance of Iraq

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The US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln re-entered the Arabian Sea over the weekend, joining two aircraft carrier battle groups already positioned within striking distance of Iraq, defense officials said on Monday.

The Lincoln departed Perth, Australia, where it had been undergoing repairs, on Jan. 20. It was ordered to head back to theGulf region instead of returning to its home port at Everett, Washington, after completing its normal six-month deployment in the Gulf.

In a message distributed to US servicemen and women around the world last week, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said deployment and rotation cycles may be disrupted, meaning longer tours of duty for some.

Rumsfeld ordered the Lincoln and a carrier from the Norfolk, Virginia-based Atlantic Fleet to deploy in the Gulf region on Jan.20 Atlantic Fleet Commander Adm. Robert Natter decided the Norfolkcarrier would be the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is wrapping up training off the East Coast of the United States and is likely to head toward the Gulf within several days.

The Truman and the Constellation are already positioned in the Mediterranean and in the northern Gulf area.

Each aircraft carrier, with about 70 aircraft aboard, is accompanied by a battle group of destroyers, cruisers and other ships, plus a submarine.

The deployment order was part of a continuing US military buildup in the Gulf region to more than double the 60,000 troops already there.

Officials said Rumsfeld was considering sending one or two additional carriers to the Gulf region, for a potential total of six.

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