Introduction: Setting the Scene
9
this requirement, in the first weeks CENTCOM's force was incapable of
moving very far or shooting for very long. Not until 24 September when the
first heavy armored division was positioned in the desert was Schwarzkopf
confident that he could repulse an Iraqi attack.7
General Yeosock's perspective was similar. He wanted to deploy a force
that could, if necessary, start fighting as soon as it arrived. Since air
transportation and host nation support were limited, he decided to deploy
aviation units, air defense systems, and antiarmor weapons first, followed by
heavy forces including combat engineer units.
Using this guidance, Army planners shaped the initial troop list. The rapidly
deployable XVIII Airborne Corps and 82d Airborne Division were obvious first
choices. To provide mobility and tank-killing capability, planners included the
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. To
provide heavy armored capability, they added the 24th Infantry Division
(Mechanized) from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and the 1st Cavalry Division from
Fort Hood, Texas.
General Yeosock would command ARCENT-the Army component of
CENTCOM. After arriving in Saudi Arabia on 6 August, he and his small staff
established ARCENT headquarters in Riyadh to oversee the arrival,
sustainment, and combat planning for deploying Army units. The first soldiers
from the 82d Airborne Division deployed on 8 August, 31 hours after the initial
Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney talks with soldiers of the 24th Infantry Division from Fort
Stewart, Georgia.
(Photo by Jonas Jordan, USACE, Savannah District)
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