I'd bet dollars that, behind the scenes, our "classified" government decided to simply move its permanent bases from Saudi Arabia to Iraq. Insupportable.
[To accommodate its new UAV,] The US air force is building a 400,000 sq ft expansion of a concrete-ramp area now used for existing Predator UAV drones at Balad, the biggest US air base in Iraq, 50 miles north of Baghdad.
It is another sign that the air force is planning for an extended stay in Iraq, supporting Iraqi government forces in any continuing conflict, even if US ground troops are withdrawn in the coming years.
