U.S. irons out Gulf HQ blips

Technicians set up the laptops that could be used during any Iraq war

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VIDEO U.S. forces are staging high-level war games to test command and control structures in the field. CNN's Wolf Blitzer reports (December 9) PLAY VIDEO CNN's John Vause takes a historical look at the country of Qatar (December 9) PLAY VIDEO RELATED • Maj. Gen. Don Shepperd (Ret.): Doesn't feel like war ... yet  • Wolf Blitzer: Qataris recognize risk that U.S. presence brings

DOHA, Qatar (CNN) -- Minor problems encountered during the first 36 hours of Exercise Internal Look -- the U.S. Central Command training exercise being held in Qatar -- have been ironed out, CNN has been told.

The exercise is designed to test military command and control communications from the Al Sayliyah army base, which could play a key role in any eventual war with Iraq.

According to a military source, Central Command (CentCom) had encountered some problems early in the simulation, but welcomed the opportunity to work them out in the shakedown exercise for the facilities in Qatar.

CentCom did not detail the extent of the problems, but sources said they were not significant and were most likely logistical in nature.

The commander of CentCom, General Tommy Franks was Tuesday traveling elsewhere in the region and leaving the war games simulation to his senior operations personnel, a military spokesman said.

Internal Look is a biennial exercise to test the command, control and communications ability of Central Command Headquarters and all of the component commands throughout the area of responsibility of CentCom.

According to its Web page, CentCom coordinates U.S. military operations throughout the "Horn of Africa, South and Central Asia, and Northern Red Sea regions, as well as the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq."

For the first time, the exercise is being run outside the continental United States, in what could be preparation for a possible war with Iraq.

The high-tech simulation will run 24 hours a day until next week.

Mobile command and communications equipment has been erected for the exercise on a heavily guarded military installation in Qatar.

The mobile command post will remain in the desert kingdom after the exercise concludes next week.

Officials have told CNN that Franks -- at his temporary headquarters in the country -- has everything he needs to stay in touch with his senior staff in the region and back in the United States,.

They say he can do everything in Qatar he can do at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa where CentCom has its is headquarters.

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