Qatar: An internal look
By Martin Savidge
CNN
ATLANTA (CNN) -- Operation Internal Look is the name of a military exercise set to take off in the small Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. Several hundred members of the U.S. military's Central Command have pulled up stakes from Tampa, Florida, to "temporarily" set up shop in a country the size of Connecticut.
On the surface, it's a test to see how well and quickly the command and control structure for U.S. forces can move and work stationed close to a possible area of conflict such as Iraq.
The war game will also test the United States' newfound friend in the region. To be honest, most Americans haven't got a clue about this ally. I was among them. Until I got there a few months ago, I thought it was an island. It's actually a peninsula and the United States' access to military bases is reportedly unfettered. This means should the United States decide to go it alone in a military strike against Iraq, that will be okay with Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. That's unlike Qatar's neighbor to the south, Saudi Arabia, where the use of military bases by U.S. forces against Iraq is sort of "don't ask, don't tell."
When I was in Qatar, the nation was enjoying a huge building boom and I'm not just talking about the capital of Doha. At the huge Al Udeid air strip southwest of town, the work is almost non-stop. Our U.S. military escorts there wouldn't allow us to video the construction saying it was being carried out by Qatar for Qatar. In other words the message from our American handlers was, "It ain't us."
I couldn't help notice the huge control tower climbing into the sky, as well as massive support buildings blooming nearby. I asked, "Isn't that a bit much for a country with only a dozen fighter planes?" The question was met with silence. Apparently I had gotten too much of an internal look.
