Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: U.S. to send trucks, support personnel to Croatia Date: Tue, 3 Nov 92 15:19:55 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \HD U.S. to send trucks, support personnel to Croatia \BY Bill Gertz \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES The Pentagon is sending 60 U.S. Army trucks and about 200 Army personnel to Croatia as part of support operations for the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Bush administration officials said yesterday. Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said the flat-bed trucks, along with drivers, maintenance and training personnel, will be moved from units stationed with the U.S. European Command, whose headquarters is in Germany, to Zagreb, Croatia. "The trucks will be used to transport equipment and supplies to UNPROFOR forces in Bosnia-Hercegovina," said Mr. Williams, adding that no U.S. military personnel would drive the vehicles from Croatia into the embattled southern Balkan state. The deployment has not yet begun but is expected to start shortly, he said. Other administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a total of about 200 U.S. military personnel would be deployed as part of the truck unit. The actual number will depend on whether linguists will be needed as part of the training units. The trainers will teach other U.N. personnel how to drive the vehicles, Mr. Williams said. Full deployment of the U.S. trucks and personnel will be completed by late November, he said. The trucks and support personnel will bolster the several hundred U.S. Army medical personnel that began moving into Zagreb late last month as part of the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. The Pentagon announced Oct. 21 that the MASH unit, moved from European Command forces, will provide medical support to protection force personnel and will be fully deployed by Nov. 15. The MASH unit will not exceed 330 people. Current U.S. military support involves relief flights into the region and about 30 logistics experts based in Zagreb and in Belgrade, Serbia, who are directing the flights. The Pentagon has resisted involving U.S. forces in combat in Bosnia, where religious and ethnic groups have engaged in a fierce civil war, because of fears that could lead to an unlimited, Vietnam-style conflict. The fighting has claimed thousands of lives, including many civilians. Army Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a commentary published in the New York Times Oct. 8 that U.S. military policy in Bosnia is limited to support for humanitarian relief efforts. "Deeper military involvement beyond humanitarian relief requires great care and a full examination of the possible outcomes," said Gen. Powell, responding to critics of U.S. policy toward the region. "That is what we have been doing." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM