US may send second carrier to W Asia Gulf

WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) The US command responsible for West Asia operations has asked the Pentagon to add a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf region as a warning to Syria and Iran and to help it carry out other operations, a senior defence official said yesterday.

The war-fighting Central Command wants the carrier strike group and its warplanes by end-March for ''deterrence'' and to increase ''flexibility,'' including for potential noncombat operations, said the official who asked not be to be named.

''It gives them (the Central Command) the flexibility to move around,'' she said. ''And it does send a message.'' No final decision on the matter has been made by the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Defence Department, which must approve it, the official added.

The request from Central Command chief Gen John Abizaid is now under review by the joint staff and Navy ''to determine the best way to meet the requirements,'' she said. It is expected to reach the chairman of the joint chiefs, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, by the end of this week.

CBS News reported on Monday that a projected naval buildup was intended to discourage what US officials view as increasingly provocative acts by Tehran as it presses its nuclear program and support for Shi'ite militias in Iraq.

Syria was also a factor in the request, the official told Reuters, ''in the vein of deterrence.'' In addition, the Central Command considered it useful for dealing with possible contingencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, she said.

''Iran and Syria are undermining the government of Iraq's political process by providing both active and passive support to anti-government and anti-Coalition forces,'' the Defence Department said in its latest quarterly report to Congress, released Monday.

''Eliminating the smuggling of materiel and foreign fighters into Iraq is a critical task and a formidable challenge,'' the report added.

The Navy and the Central Command had no immediate comment.

The carrier Eisenhower and its strike group is already in the Gulf region. A carrier strike group typically includes 70 to 80 warplanes, among them F/A-18s, E-2C Hawkeyes and EA-6B Prowlers, along with escort ships.

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