WASHINGTON — Should war come to Iraq, a U.S.-led military force could include everything from a British armored division and a Bulgarian chemical-biological protection unit to a team of Latvian military doctors and a Danish submarine.
U.S. officials have not said publicly how many states make up what President Bush has taken to calling a “coalition of the willing,” meaning those nations that would assist in overthrowing Saddam Hussein.
But officials say there are at least 40 nations — mostly in Europe and the Middle East — in talks with the United States about providing combat forces and support units, as well as basing rights and refugee assistance.
“America will also be acting with friends and allies,” Bush said Thursday at Mayport Naval Station near Jacksonville, addressing sailors and aviators from the USS Enterprise carrier battle group. “Many nations have offered to provide forces or other support to disarm the Iraqi regime. Every nation of the Gulf Cooperation Council has agreed to help defend and protect Kuwait. And now the world’s most important multilateral body faces a decision.”
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said this week during a Pentagon appearance with Australian Prime Minister John Howard that the United States “has already heard from a large number of countries that would participate in the coalition of the willing.” Rumsfeld has also told lawmakers that a “nontrivial number of countries” will offer either combat troops or support units, while other nations are offering overflight rights and access to bases. Still others, he said, are awaiting a second U.N. resolution before offering help.
“Every contribution is important, from the smallest clinic to the largest troop contribution,” said Jim Wilkinson, a spokesman for the Tampa-based U.S. Central Command, whose area of responsibility includes Iraq. Forty nations have sent military representatives to Tampa.
Some Pentagon and State Department officials say that the differing contributions are more politically important than militarily necessary, providing the Bush administration with a widening international alliance that could help blunt accusations of unilateralist U.S. action.
The United States is expected to have more than 200,000 troops in the region by the end of the month, considered more than enough for engaging Iraq’s military. More critical to the American cause than troop commitments from allies are other contributions such as basing rights in Turkey or flyover rights in Saudi Arabia — support needed as a springboard for an attack.
A core group of about eight nations, led by Britain and Australia, has already pledged either combat forces or support units should an attack take place, officials said. Some states are not yet willing to publicly declare their intentions, citing operational reasons or concerns about domestic opposition to a war with Iraq.
Meanwhile, there is a more extensive list — an “elaborate matrix,” in the words of one official — of what countries will offer under differing circumstances, with or without a second Security Council resolution. Dozens of countries are being consulted about how they can contribute to the effort, officials said.
