Stardate 20011126.0824 (On Screen): Reports about the Marines have been confused, but I think that the straight word is coming through now. This comes directly from the Marine commander on
USS Pelelieu. A desert airstrip near Kandahar has been taken and presumably is being prepared to be used to bring in bulk supplies. First, this will probably be used to provide arms and ammunition to the local friendlies. Second, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they start to base helicopter gunships there, for use in close air support of the assault on Kandahar. Jets are good, but there are a lot of things that helicopters can do better because they can hover and move slower. Of course, once something like this is done it
has to be done in overwhelming force, and General Mattis says that there will be a thousand men on the ground very soon. That is prudent. (If you put a small number of men in, they're vulnerable to a counterattack.) For the moment they're probably being moved in and supplied by helicopters, which is very difficult at that range. The air strip will be used to supply the Marines themselves. And this may be the beginning of a major deployment of US forces into the area in preparation for major ground action.
Apparently the upcoming winter doesn't seem to be a factor in this. If they really thought that the theater was going to shut down because of it they surely would not have moved in so many men at this point. Evidently they expect action to continue in the immediate future. I suspect one thing that's going to be shipped in large quantities through that airfield is snow suits for the friendlies and similar equipment. The ability to operate in winter using Western equipment could give the friendlies a major military advantage over the remaining Taliban forces in that area. General Winter looks to be fighting on our side. (discuss)
Update: They have based helicopters there and they're already in action.
