unconfirmed AsiaTimes article claims "refueling assets" are being relocated to Diego Garcia
big US air base on Diego Garcia (leased from UK)
if one were to make active contingency plans involving large numbers of aircraft dropping stuff, then one step would be to quietly move air refueling squadrons forward a week or two earlier.
Not sure which squadrons those could be, many are ANG or reserve; some were called up for recent Red Flag exercises. No news on them.
In the meantime the 5th Fleet got a new commander, the old one moves back to Pentagon and up in rank after 16 months on the job
IAEA meets march 5-9 to discuss Iran, right after that there is the multi-nation meeting in Iraq, and the UN Security Council should meet.
Hope no one does anything provocative or diplomatically clumsy during those delicate times.
I'm always a bit wary about asia times, not sure how much is honest (and usually pretty good) journalism, and how much is influenced by the Chinese government.
IMHO neither Bush, nor Iran want this to come to blows. But both are too much into brinksmanship, which makes the odds of something spinning out of control much higher than my comfort zone.
Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.
The US does not have to actually attack Iran, or even have a serious intention of attacking Iran for something catastrophic to happen as the result of its actions. Brinksmanship puts one at the brink, and sometimes one falls off that brink unintentionally.