U.N. Debate Stalls U.S. Action on Iraq

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 22 -- The latest U.S. draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at Iraq is running into objections from France and Russia — two council members with veto powers — and the diplomatic wrangling has set back the the American military schedule on the road to a potential war.

The ongoing talks are expected to result in lengthy weapons inspections in Iraq. And that could delay military action, if it happens at all, well into the spring. For military planners, it means postponing the movement of large numbers of troops.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was asked about possible delays today.

"In a hypothetical situation, the longer you wait, obviously an adversary has time to prepare. But so do you," said Gen. Richard Myers.

Heavy combat units that were scheduled to head to the Persian Gulf in December are now delaying, sources said, possibly for several months. But other specialists are going anyway.

Army units that fuel tanks on the battlefield are on their way. In the next several days, tank-killing Apache helicopter units are scheduled to go, but the soldiers may return home, leaving their equipment.

The headquarters of major Army and Marine Corps fighting units are also moving to the region, but they too may send many of their people back home to wait once they've set up their operations.

A Major Mobilization

Despite the delays, there is a major buildup under way.

Thousands of Army reservists with highly specialized skills are being mobilized — chemical weapons specialists in Indiana, combat engineers in Virginia who build bridges for tanks, military police in Florida who specialize in handling battlefield prisoners.

The Navy, which normally has two or three aircraft carriers at sea and fully ready for combat, is squeezing maintenance and training so — with several months notice — it could have five or six carriers ready.

Military sources say the Air Force is preparing to base up to half of its 20 B-2 stealth bombers on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. These planes normally fly missions all the way from the United States. A new base will allow two or three times more missions in the crucial early hours of a war.