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Thursday, October 4, 1990/ University Daily Kansan
Contractors' orders increase with U.S. troop deployment
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The value of the food, clothing and medical goods needed to resupply U.S. troops in the Mideast has already passed a half-billion dollars, draining inventories at Pentagon supply depots and generating lucrative new contracts — $100 million worth in the last week alone.
The deployment of 170,000 American troops more than 7,000 miles from home has forced the Pentagon to scrap plans to cut purchases of the modern-day C-ration — Meals Ready to Eat. It has also forced the military to stock uniforms and other gear designed for use in the desert.
Food and clothing are by far the most needed items being ordered from the Pentagon's nationwide supply operation. Officials at the major deputy says most orders are being filled from existing stocks. The departments are being drained as the deployment nears the two-month mark.
For example, the Pentagon's Defense Industrial Supply Center in Philadelphia has shipped about $9 million worth of spare parts, from nuts and tobs to heavy-duty cable, to units deployed in the Middle East, filling 90 percent of its orders from existing stocks. Nearly 200 new contracts have been negotiated and 300 others modified because of the buildup, most of them to replenish depleted inventory, according to government records.
And the Defense Electronics Supply Center in Dayton, Ohio, has processed 22,000 orders for goods valued at $6.7 million for the Mideast buildup, filling 90.3 percent from stocks, according to its records.
As of Tuesday, the Pentagon depot that handles orders for food, clothing and medical supplies said it had received 47,208 requisitions for $633 million related to Operation Desert Shield, the code name for the Pentagon's response to Iraq's Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait. The orders were for $53.8 million in medical supplies, $293 million in clothing and $214 million in clothing and textiles.
Included in those orders were
requests for nearly 40 million meals
30 million MREs and 7.8 million
meals packaged in ready-to-heat trays.
On Monday, the Pentagon awarded two new contracts for MREs worth more than $2 million. The contracts given to Southern Packing Co. of South Carolina and Cincinnati Packaging of Ohio were for nearly 33
million MREs, the 3,000-calories meals served to troops when they have no access to hot meals.
Those companies assemble and box the meals, which on average cost the government $3.70 apiece. Some of the components are supplied by the company, others are purchased by the packing firms from subcontractors.
In the new fiscal year, which began Monday, the Defense Department had planned to drop its MRE order to 2.2 million cases - 26.4 million meals
- but has increased its order to 3.4 million cases, or nearly 41 million meals, because of the Mideast deployment.
The new MRE orders were made three days after the Pentagon awarded Wornick Family Foods of San Carlos, Texas, a $7.6 million contract to supply MREs for 100,000载 ration of dehydrated beef, pork and shrimp.
Also on order are thousands of new desert uniforms and suits designed to protect troops against chemical weapons should Iraq unleash its considerable arsenal of mustard and nerve gases.
Friday, the Pentagon exercised an option it had with Isratek Inc. of West Virginia to provide 294,550 chemical suits, to be made with desert camouflage fabric. Isratek has supplied the suits to the Pentagon in the past but in traditional dark green camouflage.
NICOSIA, Cyprus — President Saddam Hamid of Iraq visited Kuwait yesterday, meeting with military commanders and officials to govern the occupied emirate, the Iraq News Agency said.
The Associated Press
Saddam makes first trip to 'new province'
now calls Iraq's 19th province since the Aug.2 invasion.
It was the Iraqi leader's first reported visit to what Baghdad
Saddam also met with Iraqi troops who confirmed their readiness make sacrifices for Iraq, INA said.
The news agency said Saddam toured the streets of Kuwait, which "appeared flourishing after its return to the homeland."
Refugees fleeing Kuwait have said that stores and shops have been pillaged and that Iraq is doing its best to dismantle Kuwaiti institutions. They have reported sums of money from fighters. Many said they had feared to leave their homes before fleeing.
Guerrilla leader warns of retaliation
The Associated Press
NICOSIA, Cyprus — A Palestinian guerrilla leader warned yesterday of retaliation against U.S. targets if iraqi planes were hit with weapons under the U.N. air embargo against Iraq.
In a statement published by Baghdad's official al-Jumhuriy daily, Abul Abbas called the air embargo "the operation of air piracy by one state against another to serve its narrow-minded interests."
"We will not permit such legislation to be implemented against our people and if any Iraqi aircraft is confronted by such air piracy and should any damage be inflicted on Iraq's civil aviation, we will retaliate." he said.
The comments heightened fears that guerrilla factions linked to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would unleash a new terrorist campaign against the United States and its own controlling Iraq in the Persian Gulf.
Abbas said the air embarger was an "American decision dictated to the international community." The embargo is aimed at tightening the economic squeeze on Iraq so it will allow Kuwait, which it invaded Aug. 2.
He said the U.N. Security Council resolution was "terroristic legislation which does not serve world peace."
Abbas, who heads the extremist Palestine Liberation Front now based in Baghdad, did not specify what action would be taken.
But he appeared to be talking about hijacking or bombing U.S. airliners, since his warning concerned Iraqi aircraft.
Abbas is one of several radical Palestinian leaders now based in Iraq. Some have specialized in attacks on airliners and airports.
Among them are George Habash, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Nayef Hawatmeth of the Marxist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine; and a group led by Hussein Mohammed Umari.
Abu Nidal's Fatah-Revolutionary Council group is also reported to have moved back to Iraq after a bombing that struck hundreds of his men were killed
Abu Nidal, until recently reported to be in Libya, tops the world's most-wanted list. He has been blamed for many terrorist atrocities in recent years, including the December 1965 attacks on Rome and Vienna airports in which more than 20 people were killed.
The Popular Front was one of the first to begin hijacking airliners, in 1970. The group, the second largest faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization, has about 1,000 fighters.
The U.S. State Department on Saturday warned Americans traveling abroad that they run the risk of Iraqi-sponsored attacks.
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