Attack On Terror

A MASSIVE U.S. BUILDUP...

It may be a new way of war, but the U.S. will still back its efforts with the world's strongest military muscle. The mobilization is bigger than any since the Gulf War. A key element: the ability to apply massive amounts of firepower to assist in special-forces operations or supress attacks on U.S. bases or other countries

U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group En route from Norfolk, Va.

SHIPS Cruisers, destroyers, attack submarines, frigates and support ships

CREW 15,000 sailors and Marines

AIRCRAFT F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 Hornets, E-2C Hawkeyes, S-3A/B Vikings, SH/HH-60 Seahawks, EA-6B Prowlers (below)

U.S.S. Carl Vinson Battle Group In the Persian Gulf

SHIPS Cruiser, destroyers, attack submarines, frigates and support ships

CREW 6,000 sailors and Marines

AIRCRAFT F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 hornets, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, S-3A/B Vikings, SH/HH-60 Seahawks (below)

U.S.S. Enterprise Battle Group In the Arabian Sea

SHIPS Cruisers, destroyers, attack submarines, frigates and support ships

CREW 6,000 to 8,000 sailors and Marines

AIRCRAFT E-2C Hawkeyes (above), F-14 Tomcats, F/A-18 Hornets, EA-6B Prowlers, S-3A/B Vikings SH/HH-60 Seahawks

From Diego Garcia

AIRCRAFT Long-range B-52 bombers will fly missions from here

EQUIPMENT Including weapons, fuel and heavy machinery

Afghan military forces

Taliban

SOLDIERS 45,000

WEAPONS Assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades

EQUIPMENT 650 tanks, troop carriers and fighting vehicles

AIRCRAFT 10 Su-22 fighter-bombers, 5 MiG-21 fighters, 10 transport helicopters and 40 cargo planes

Northern Alliance (Taliban opposition)

SOLDIERS 12,000 TO 15,000

WEAPONS Assault rifles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades

EQUIPMENT 60 to 70 tanks, carriers and fighting vehicles

AIRCRAFT 8 transport helicopters, 3 cargo airplanes

MISSILES About 25 FROG surface-to-surface and Scud short-range ballistic missiles

...AND A SECRET BUT DEADLY WAR

One of the key components of the U.S. military response in Afghanistan will be special operations forces, but don't expect them to show up in video clips on CNN or the nightly news. While the role of these elite fighters will be critical, their missions will be tightly focused and extremely secretive.

And limited. Special forces are lightly equipped and therefore can't stay in the field too long. They would be used only for surgical strikes: Army Rangers or Navy SEALs, for example, deployed to take and briefly hold an airport until conventional forces arrive; Green Beret teams helicoptered in to raid bin Laden camps tucked away in the mountains. Delta Force commandos might even attempt a bin Laden snatch operation, though defense officials are pessimistic about such a plan because his movements are difficult to track

ELITE TROOPS Only about 30,000 of the more than 1.3 million active-duty U.S. personnel are in special forces units

HOW TO ATTACK A TARGET

1 The first problem is finding the right one. That requires sharp intelligence, which can be gleaned from locals and gathered by U.S. spy satellites. The eyes in the sky can pinpoint targets as small as a mailbox

2 Bombing attacks may be used to "soften up" a target area before U.S. forces move in. Among the favored techniques: parachuting soldiers in, an approach that allows for more operational flexibility and safety

3 Special-forces war isn't just about getting in. Soldiers--and any prisoners--also have to be extracted using heavily armored choppers built for high-speed, low-altitude flight

Source: AP