War's Start Pushed to Mid-March "U.S. military planners are now looking at mid-March as a starting date for a war against Iraq, a delay caused by diplomatic snags and difficulties in moving heavy Army divisions. The majority of Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps combat units are in the Persian Gulf poised for an attack. The timing of the war is critical, U.S. officials said, because it is best for troops and machines to fight in the Gulf's 70-degree winter weather than its oppressive desert heat of the summer. The temperatures begin to rise in April."