CENTCOM Briefing 4 FEB 91

File: doc71_08.txt
Page: 08
Total Pages: 8

Q: A few days ago. Oeneral Schwar~opf told us that you wcrc flying1 I think, about 300
sorticI agatnst the Republican Guard every day. Are they still ~nni~g at that levcl? Have they
ster. ~ up consicicrably? a
A: I think it's been pfttty consistent I think I told you it was about 250 sorties tod~y --
p~tty hl~h tempo operation against the Republican OuarcL

0; Were those 25 tanks that were hit near the bortler a particular threat5 or were they near
thc Republican Guar~~s, or were they just there so you bit them?
A: Without giving you the exact geography. they werc far enough back from the front lines
they did not represent any kind of impending offcnsive operation on the part of the Iraqis. `fl~ey
looked like they were, quite frankly. trying to hide in defilade at a position obviously in Kuwait, but
not anywhere close to the border.

Q: In your description of the Missouri, it doesn't sound like its but I wondered whether your
ability to use the Missouri was related in any way to the British suppreSsiOn of the six ~un
emplaceme~)ts on Failaka Island the other day.
A; 1 would not draw any direct rtlationship with those two events.

Q: Did I understand you to lay earlier that even if you knew the Iraqi command and conuol,
or aircraft, 15m not Łure, but at least command and control were biding under residential neighbor-
hoods1 you would not go after thcm~ If so, how do you square that, knowing that they will all now
do that?
A: I'm not sure he can somehow put half a million troops and 5,000 tanks in a residential
an~ I'm nOt being flip about it. lie can bide a select part, I guess. of his military capability. but he
can't hide it all. We will continue to scrupulously adhere to our policy, that we will not target
ci'~~ `n ar~~'. So I guess you could conclude that he has protected some of his assets.

Q: (inaudible)
A; Correct statement.

j Thaflic you ladies and 8entlemcn.

END