U.S. Proposal to Deploy Jets in Oman Reported

The United States has secretly offered the Persian Gulf sultanate of Oman a temporary deployment of U.S. jet fighters to make up for the aircraft carrier Saratoga’s hasty reassignment last week from its station nearby in the Arabian Sea, Reagan Administration sources said Friday.

Acceptance of the fighters would mark a major increase in the U.S. military presence in Oman, which is now limited to a liaison office, an agreement on emergency use of bases and ports, the storage of some U.S. military supplies and a $40-million weapons program.

Officials would neither confirm nor deny on the record that any offer was made to Oman, a conservative nation situated near the entrance to the strategically important Persian Gulf. But, speaking on the condition of anonymity, they acknowledged that the offer had been made and that they had seen no response from Oman.

One official said that in making the offer, the Administration may have placed some units on an informal alert for possible duty in the region. But another said that there has been no formal alert.

The offer comes as South Yemen, Oman’s Marxist neighbor, remains torn by heavy fighting after an apparent coup attempt. In addition, tension remains high between the warring gulf states of Iran and Iraq, and the United States and Soviet Union have beefed up their forces in the Mediterranean following terrorist attacks in Europe, which the United States charges had the support of Libya.

Joined Coral Sea

The Saratoga recently completed the approximately four-day voyage from the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal and into the eastern Mediterranean to join another carrier, the Coral Sea. Pentagon officials described the carrier’s move as “prudent” in the face of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s threats and support for terrorist action.

The Saratoga’s departure from the Indian Ocean left Oman without immediately available support from the United States, prompting the offer of what one Administration official described as “attack air” support.

It was understood that similar offers have been made in the past when carriers have left the region but have not been accepted.

Among the aircraft that could be sent to Oman, one source said, are F-15 fighters, the most sophisticated in the Air Force arsenal; F-16 jets; older and less technically advanced F-4s, and the Navy’s carrier-based but land-capable F-14s.

Sensitive About Ties

Oman, situated to the northeast of South Yemen and a short flight from Iran, has been particularly sensitive about its relations with the West. The presence of a U.S. aircraft carrier relatively nearby in the Indian Ocean gave it support on which it could call without requiring its leader, Sultan Kaboos ibn Said, to acknowledge any ties to the United States.

“The concept of sovereignty is very strong in the Arab countries,” said one Middle East expert in the government. Never sure in which direction Arab consensus will move, such smaller states as Oman “want to look as nonaligned and as much a part of the consensus as possible,” he said.

This source said the Oman military “is very capable, but very small,” and would depend on U.S. help if attacked.

The reluctance to discuss any possible deployment to Oman reflects concern not only for Oman’s sensitivities about receiving support from the United States but also fears that American military units there could become targets for terrorism. Even four airplanes would require considerable ground support from American troops, but officials said that aside from the small staff of the military liaison office, there are no U.S. military personnel in Oman.

Supplies for Oman

U.S. military supplies in Oman include unspecified ammunition and rations, such support vehicles as trucks and forklifts and mobile equipment that could be used to fuel aircraft, officials said. The equipment, the Defense Department said, is to help Oman defend itself “against any aggression from Iran and South Yemen.”

The $40-million military sales program includes $22 million for 300 AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. In requesting the military assistance for Oman last spring, the Administration told Congress:

“As the southernmost member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz, a strong Oman makes a very important contribution to regional stability by providing the United States with access to military facilities and supporting U.S. peace initiatives in the Middle East.”