Planners from the 1st Cavalry Division have traveled to Germany to meet with counterparts in the Army's 5th Corps, which includes two other units designated for possible action in Iraq, the 1st Armored and the 1st Infantry divisions, officers said.
Should there be a war with Iraq, both Germany-based divisions would likely move by rail to Italy, where their tanks and equipment would be loaded aboard ships bound for the Persian Gulf.
Meanwhile, elements of the 3rd Infantry and the 1st Cavalry are slated for training this fall at the Army's sprawling National Training Center in California's Mojave Desert. The training site is roughly the size of Rhode Island, and its tawny mountains and wide, sandy stretches closely resemble the barren landscape of much of Iraq.
The 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade will head next month to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk in Louisiana for three weeks of exercises, said Maj. Paul Fitzpatrick, a division spokesman.
One Army officer said it was no surprise that the 101st Airborne would be added to any war plan, given its "uniqueness."
The division is the Army's only air assault division, with some 300 attack and transport helicopters.
