Sandstorms curtail Kuwait exercises

UDAIRI RANGE, Kuwait — Fierce, unpredictable sandstorms are beginning to wreak havoc on desert training schedules for U.S. troops.

And despite the chunks of sand in their Meals, Ready to Eat, Marine Corps tank crews hope the brownout conditions hold.

“If this were a combat situation, we could roll right through this,” said Capt. Greg Poland, commander of Company D, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

“With visibility like today, we would over-match anything that anybody else in this theater could put on the battlefield. I’d rather fight on a tank in the desert than anywhere else,” said the 34-year-old from Burlington, Iowa.

The reason for Poland’s confidence, he said, is simple: Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams tanks have thermal gun sights, capable of picking up heat from an enemy’s engine through almost anything — including a swirling wall of desert sand.

The mechanized Marines would likely face off against Iraqi T-62 and T-72s, heavily-armored tanks first manufactured by the Soviet in the 1970s. Most of those tanks are not believed to have advanced targeting systems.

But on Monday, Poland and his tank crews were buttoned up inside their tanks, riding out a day-long tempest that cancelled their chance at a live-fire range deep in the northern Kuwaiti desert.

As hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces arrive at desert camps for a possible showdown with Iraq, the Marines who operate them have to “bore sight” the guns. Essentially, that means visually-sighting the tank’s main gun to ensure the electronic targeting systems work.

“It’s just like zeroing your weapon on the rifle range,” said Sgt. John Landers, 36, of Las Vegas. “It’s just a much bigger weapon.”

The process, called screening the tanks, requires firing on a target visible from 1,200 meters. Visibility during the storm was less than one-tenth that distance. Tank crews said their targeting systems reported sustained winds of 40 mph, gusting to 60 mph.

Eight massive Abrams tanks from Company D sat on the firing line, main guns at the ready but with engines off. Some of the crews crouched behind the tanks, having a smoke or marveling at the winds.

At times, it seemed like every grain of sand in Kuwait was blowing directly into their faces.

“We were all on the firing line this morning, ready to go, but then this big wall of sand just came over the horizon. It hasn’t stopped since,” said Cpl. Anthony Guittierez, a 19-year-old gunner from San Diego, wrapped up behind goggles, knit cap and a full face mask.

“We got here last night, and we were all looking forward to sending some ordnance downrange.”

Before that happens, the tank crews said they would ride out the storm, hoping for a break in the weather so that they could complete the crucial gun-sighting process.

“You can barely see the tanks on the firing line, so you definitely can’t see the targets downrange,” Poland said. “This is something we can’t afford not to be patient about.”