Western nations finance system to monitor Yemen´s 2,500-kilometer coast

CAIRO — Yemen plans to install a system to monitor its huge coastline.

Officials said the Sanaa government plans to monitor insurgency activities along Yemen´s 2,500-kilometer coast. The system would cost $750 million with most of the money coming from Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

The government has issued a request for proposals for the first stage of the National Yemeni Vessel Traffic System. The new Yemen Coast Guard Authority, part of the Interior Ministry, would oversee the tender, released on Oct. 17.

In a statement, the agency said the first stage of the coastal security project would require the submission of a preliminary design of the naval vessel traffic system along the Yemeni coast.

The RFP called for the establishment of a national command and control center in Sanaa. A smaller C2 center would be based in Aden, the country´s largest port.

The system would also include two mobile units, six local C2 centers and remote facilities. Officials said the monitoring system would cover the coast from Al Khokha in the west to Shuqrah in the east.

The first stage of the project, expected to last more than one year, would cost $24 million. The deadline for the RFP is Jan. 15, 2006.

Iraq War has depleted prepositioned U.S. stock in the Gulf

A report by the Government Accountability Office said the Defense Department faces near-term operational risks as the military has drawn heavily on its prepositioned stocks to support operations in Iraq. "The precise operational risk created by these shortfalls is difficult to assess," the report said. "However, should a new conflict arise in the near term, the combatant commander would likely face difficult operational challenges."

The report warned that many of the programs face significant inventory shortfalls and in some cases, maintenance problems.

The GAO report said the U.S. military maintains prepositioned stocks in several Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

The U.S. Army has drawn equipment from virtually all of its prepositioned stocks to support operations in Iraq. The report said several Army storage sites have experienced shortages of equipment and spare parts while some stocks were no longer deemed in adequate condition.

Army and Air Force stocks have been stationed in Kuwait while the Navy and Air Force have stored equipment in Bahrain. Oman and Qatar contain American Air Force assets.

The report said the Army has low inventories in combat brigade sets as well as operational project and sustainment stocks that comprise the service´s prepositioning program. The report, dated September 2005, said some Army stocks — not used in recent operations — were in poor condition.

"For example, the Army used much of the equipment and supplies associated with the combat brigade sets stored at land sites in Kuwait and Qatar and aboard prepositioning ships afloat near Diego Garcia to support operations in Iraq," the report said.

The report said the Army has reported sustainment stocks — which include spare parts, tracked vehicles and gasoline — at 20 percent. The inventory fills for operational projects were said to be 26 percent.

U.S. Army prepositioning stocks in Kuwait and Qatar have been used in Iraq. Kuwait also contains fixed-forward stocking depots for Army equipment.

GAO said U.S. military warehouses in Qatar have been converted to Central Command´s regional headquarters. The cost for maintaining the U.S. stocks in Kuwait and Qatar from 2000 to 2005 was reported at $304.2 million. (Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc 11/04/05)