U.S. Disavows ‘Decapitation’ War Strategy

The Bush Administration rebuked its Air Force chief of staff on Sunday, disavowing his statement that U.S. military planners have designated Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, his family and his mistress as prime targets for bombing raids in case of war.

Brent Scowcroft, President Bush’s national security adviser, said that Gen. Michael J. Dugan, the chief of staff, was not reflecting U.S. policy when he said the military has decided to target Hussein’s family.

“Gen. Dugan is not in the chain of command, and he does not speak for the Administration,” Scowcroft said on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation.”

However, Scowcroft did not deny Dugan’s statement that a Pentagon study had concluded that bombing Hussein and members of his leadership would be the most effective strategy if the United States and Iraq go to war.

Asked whether such plans exist, Scowcroft said: “We have contingency planning going on for anything that might happen. That’s only prudent.”

Dugan told The Times and two other publications last week that the most effective way to strike at Iraq would be a massive air campaign designed in part to “decapitate” the leadership in Baghdad.

“If push came to shove, the cutting edge would be in downtown Baghdad,” Dugan said. “Saddam is a one-man show in Iraq. If for any reason he went away, those troops would pull out of Kuwait quickly and be back in Iraq within a very few hours. If and when we choose violence, he ought to be at the focus of our efforts.”

The general’s blunt comments raised eyebrows among even some of the officers on his staff. An air strike deliberately targeted at the Iraqi president and his family would be controversial; previous Administrations have usually held to a rule of targeting military or industrial facilities, not civilian leaders.

Scowcroft said U.S. strategy in the gulf remains “to defend Saudi Arabia, to impose economic sanctions and to force Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait.”

Asked whether the United States is considering an offensive against Iraq, he gave a deliberately ambiguous reply. “We’re building adequate capability to deal with the situation out there,” he said. “We want him to know we are serious.”

The theme of convincing Hussein of U.S. and world resolve was repeated Sunday by foreign policy experts and diplomats gathered for a forum hosted by former President Jimmy Carter and broadcast on the Discovery cable channel.

“Hussein is not yet convinced that if push comes to shove, the international community is prepared for military action,” said former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski. He added that war is inevitable unless Hussein recognizes our resolve and might.

“Don’t say you are prepared to send a man to hell unless you are prepared to do it,” Prince Bandar ibn Sultan, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington, added.

Statements from Iraq on Sunday continued to be bellicose.

Reuters news agency reported that Iraq ridiculed Dugan’s comments, saying that his remarks “will neither shake the leaves of Iraqi palm trees nor awaken a sleeping girl.”