CENTCOM Briefing 4 FEB 91

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Subject: CENTCOM Briefing 4 FEB 91


NEWS
BRIEFING

                                                                Office of the Assistont Secretary of Defense
                                                                                            (PubIic Affairs)


    CENTCOM Briefing
    MaJ. Gen. Robert Johnston, USMC
    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
    Monday, February 4, 1991 - 11:30 a.m. (EST)

           General Johnston: Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

           Let me tell you that in the last 24 hours, with nine countries Involved, we have flown over
    2700~sorties.  That brings the grand total to date to over 44,0(X) sorties.    That translutes, for
    those that tneasure, to approximately one bombing Sortie for every minute of the Desert Storm
    operation. We continue to restrike his criticai command and control, his airlields1 his NflC
    production, and to neutralize any effort he has made to try to regenerate those capabilities.

           The Republican (Juard continues to get the focus of our attention.     ~Ve had 26 fighter strike
    packages against them today. In addition to that we had some si~ fl-52 strikes.      We continue at high
    tempo to attack those forces in the ICTO.

           At about 2000 last night. our SLLrveillance systems picked up some vehicles rnoving in Xuwait.
    They were systematically attacked and destroyed. I think it's interesting to note that while we would
    have characterized vehicle convoys in the past maybe 50 to 100 vehicles, we're now beginnin£ to see
     ~cm cut their vehicle convoys down to five and ten vehicles at a titne    clearly some indication
    they're tTyir)g to minimize the target they present to our friendly air.

           We had one report early this afternoon of some AY~S's, ac(ually a total of four ln.two
    sections, that attacked someW~ere between 2~ and 30 fraqi tanks that were hidden in a defilade
    position. They attacked them with Rockeyc bombs, a total of 24 bombs, and tl~e results ftoi~~ il~e
    initial pilot reports are 25 Iraqi tanks destroyed or at least burning.

           We have in the last 24 hours lost one aircraft.   ~bat was an UH-1, and that's what we call a
    Hucy. It was non-battle damage, and it went down in Satidi Arabia. We can now confirn~, from
    having viewed the wreckage, that four in the crew were killed. That*a the pilot, the copilot, and Iwo
    crew rnember~ There were no passengers on that particular aircraft. We are now 1t~vestigating to
    try and dCtcnn1.ne the exact cause of that accident.

           On the ground side, it ba~ been very quiet with respect to any Iraqi rnovement on the ground.
    No probing attacks. Last night at about 4:00 o'clock In the morning we had a U.S. artillery outfit
    attacking an Iraqi infantry batLi1i6n, and some counter-battery radar. Tile counter.battcry radar did
    not respond, obviously, but they did have a mul~ple rocket launcher prepared to fire that. was
    identified by some FIA.18's and Immediately destroyed before it got any rounds off.

           Our naval force picture has been pretty quiet, with the exception of confuming the report oh
    th~~~ittieship* the Missouri    firing for the first time, as you all know0 since 19S~e I ihinic  It was
    the ICorean War,~2~th of March. It flTed seven rourids of i6 inch. You might know that a 16 inch