Northern Watch is the Pentagon's name for the Iraq operation. Those airframes were needed quickly,'' once NATO began hitting targets in Yugoslavia, an official said, but it was initially assumed they would not be needed in Europe for an extended period. With the NATO air campaign now almost two weeks old and no end in sight, the Pentagon is examining how to get other radar-jamming aircraft back to Incirlik so that operations there can return to normal, the official said. The air war in Yugoslavia also has put a squeeze on American naval resources. An aircraft carrier is being added to NATO's force in the Adriatic, but that has forced the Pentagon to shift the USS Kitty Hawk carrier battle group in Japan to the Persian Gulf, leaving a carrier gap in the Pacific.
Satellites provide some aerial reconnaissance.
The Iraqis have never accepted the legitimacy of the ''no-fly'' zones, imposed by the United States, Britain and France after the 1991 Gulf War to protect minority Shiites in the south and rebellious Kurds in the north. It also raised questions even among U.S. allies in the region, including the emirate Qatar, about excessive bombing. Copyright 1999 Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.