Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 21, 1991 TAG: 9102210286
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/5 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
As the world waited for a decision on beginning a major allied ground attack, Lt. Gen. Thomas Kelly, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked how quickly such an order would travel.
"There's a lot of communication within the chain of command, thank God. That's one of the things we're pretty good at," Kelly said. "We can communicate the order just about instantaneously."
Like other military officials, he said the Pentagon had received "no date" for a ground campaign to force Iraq from Kuwait.
As for speed of communication, he cited a 1988 incident that occurred during the U.S. effort to protect Kuwaiti shipping in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq conflict.
A Navy pilot, sent out to search for an Iranian ship, radioed that he was under fire from the vessel, and he requested permission to return fire.
"That question went all the way to the president of the United States and back to that pilot in less than three minutes," Kelly said.
In that case, a Navy source said, the pilot radioed his commander on board his aircraft carrier, who telephoned his commander for the Persian Gulf task force, who telephoned the commander of the Central Command in Florida, who in turn telephoned the White House for a response from then-President Reagan.
The ship was later sunk by a combined attack from U.S. vessels and aircraft, the source said.
Instantaneous transmission might not be necessary to start an assault. According to ABC News, a senior official, not otherwise identified, said if an assault is ordered President Bush planned to give Operation Desert Storm commander Norman Schwarzkopf a two-day or three-day window in which to launch it at the general's discretion.
At the briefing, Kelly pointed out that military orders to commanders in the field are sent with some flexibility for accomplishment.
He explained that when an order is received, but something like poor weather is interfering with the operation, the commander in the field has the option to recommend changes to his superiors.
by CNB