U.S. to Keep F-117s in Kuwait, Perry Says

Defense Secretary William J. Perry ordered eight F-117 Stealth fighters to remain in Kuwait “as long as they are needed” as part of a potent U.S. military force in the Persian Gulf designed to deter Iraq and Iran. “We can never turn our backs on these threats. We can never relax,” Perry said before arriving in Saudi Arabia to assess measures taken to protect the more than 4,000 U.S. service members based there. Perry said that, as long as Iraq’s Saddam Hussein is in power and continues to threaten his neighbors, “I see no basis for normal, friendly relations.” Asked about warfare exercises being conducted in the Gulf by Iran, Perry said the United States was watching them closely.