■"Pentagon Construction Boom Beefs Up Mideast Air Bases: The military says it is not planning to have a permanent presence," by Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 18 September 2005, p. A8.

The Pentagon is spending $1.2 billion to spruce up air bases in the Middle East. Troops will inevitably be reduced, but the SysAdmin will leave behind a footprint that's substantial for the long haul. I say SysAdmin more than Leviathan because-quite frankly-the Leviathan can reach the Middle East from Kansas if it so chooses. So who needs the bases? Apparently, U-2 spy planes (awfully long range), Global Hawk UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles also for surveillance), and the big KC-135 refueling planes (which fuel up bombers for the return flight back to the States).

Uzbekistan told the Air Force to leave, but other Kyrgyzstan picks up the slack just like a Singapore picking up where the Philippines left off years ago. Qatar, Bahrain and U.A.E. are also putting money against the problems the Air Force faces in trying to retain sufficient command and control facilities in the region. Qatar and U.A.E. sport the two most permanent bases, the rest being more on the Spartan side.

Of course, this is all described as "temporary" and "not permanent," but I'm sticking to my prediction of years ago (recounted in PNM) that bases in the region will someday rival Ramstein for their familiarity among U.S. military personnel.