Kuwait, Saudi Arabia Join High-Threat Areas

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2000 - Kuwait and Saudi Arabia join
Bahrain and Qatar as having the highest level of threat
against U.S. military in the Middle East region, Pentagon
spokesperson Kenneth Bacon said Oct. 31.

Bacon said Threat Condition Delta, the highest threat
rating, was declared Oct. 30 in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
"due to creditable threat information involving unspecified
targets" in the regions." The two countries each host about
5,000 U.S. service members, he said.

The military's five threat levels - normal, Alpha, Bravo,
Charlie and Delta - each carry a set of increasingly
restrictive security precautions, officials said. They
noted Threat Condition Delta is normally declared as a
localized warning when a terrorist incident has occurred or
intelligence indicates likely terrorist action against a
specific location.

The alert means commanders are expected to implement
mandatory security measures tailored to local scenarios.
They also are authorized and encouraged to supplement the
mandatory measures as they see circumstances, based on
their knowledge of the area.

Both Bahrain and Qatar were put on Threat Condition Delta
Oct. 24 in the wake of the Oct. 12 terrorist bomb attack
against the Navy destroyer USS Cole that killed 17 sailors
and wounded 39. About 1,100 U.S. personnel are in Bahrain
and about 59 are in Qatar, officials said.