Posted on 03/17/2012 7:29:32 AM PDT by Strategy
The global signs of a coming military conflict with Iran continue to build, and today the U.S. Navy made clear its intentions by announcing it's sending four additional mine countermeasure ships to the Strait of Hormuz.
Stars and Stripes reports the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he's sending the mine ships in addition to four airborne mine countermeasure helicopters.
Iran has already warned that one of its first steps in closing the Strait of Hormuz, and choking off 40 percent of the world's oil supply, will be to mine the strait and deploy its fleet of small electronic submarines.
Greenert was recently aboard the USS John C. Stennis when it was tailed through the strait by the Iranians and came away from that ride thinking "[W]e could do better setting the theater. I wanted to be sure ... that we are ready..."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Mining an international waterway is of course an act of war. If we had a non Muslim president he would mention that. But we don’t and he won’t. Wonder what the Rules of Engagement will be? “Don’t shoot unless they kill you first”, just like Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
AReference your post # 40: Agree on all points.
Sadly, you are correct.
US pilots won't fire on Israeli pilots unless fire upon first.
If that is Obama's intent, he's in for one of the great embarrassments of all history.
In fact the US pilots are far more likely to fly CAP and rear guard for the Israelis.
Every time they are ordered to fire they will have a malfunction.
Obama&Cronies are inhibiting the production of oil & cheap energy in the USA. It seems as though Obama&Cronies are on the payroll of the MiddleEastOILarchies.
The OILarchies have figured out they only need to ‘pay off’ crooked politicians in the USA to stop USA oil production & get Americans to die to protect OILarchy oil in the middle-east.
The USA needs to support Israel to prevent its destruction by the OILarchies. >Hatred for Israel is encouraged by the Muslim leaders as a distraction from their own failed policies towards their own people.
It’s time to get ready for a long depression. Obama&Cronies+priorLeaders have destroyed the USA economy on purpose; we are going broke. Historically the ‘RulingClasses’ have used War, bankrupcies & inflation to >literally keep their heads on their shoulders.
He is not my President.
...the U.S. Navy made clear its intentions by announcing it's sending four additional mine countermeasure ships to the Strait of Hormuz... in addition to four airborne mine countermeasure helicopters.
Put an admiral on every ship.
It depends.
Were hostilities to ensue the CVNs will head outside the strait and linger about 100 miles out in the Arabian Sea. While air dominance is being established the US Navy would likely be replenishing the empty tubes of all escorts...refueling...
During this time there would be 2-3 subs in the Gulf along with a Surface Strike group of 4-5 Aegis Destroyers/Cruisers.
Ships today are far, far more capable than even 20 years ago. Think of them as spaceships with a bunch of very precise ordnance and sensors to support it.
For several days...as long as it took...they would undertake strike operations against targets that could restrict shipping and any supporting targets that could present a threat to these strike operations.
Then the Mine Sweeps will commence.
Entire duration: 15-20 days. 20 - 30,000 dead Iranians.
Welcome to Maritime Operations 101. This will be a challenging, but interesting course.
The actual available transit lanes at its narrowest point total six miles in width, divided into two three-mile lanes, one each for entrance to and exit from the Gulf. Not a big deal to close these off for oil traffic.
Oh, and don’t forget those B1-Bs and their strike operations out of Diego Garcia. The Navy is always happy to have an assist from the big birds.
If this goes on without a vote in congress, we need to start impeachment proceedings. We should not be blinded on the conservative side by our patriotism and general support of the military to how this is corrupting the military and the government.
Thanks for bringing me up to date - things have changed - sleeker - much more efficient.
dforest wrote
“I am surprised. The Navy never announces what it is doing.
My son was in the Navy and I never knew where he was.”
I was thinking along those lines while reading the article. What is this fascination lately of telling the world, details of military deployments? I think we all know the answer to that.
No wonder Israel will not give Obammy advance warning of any action on their part.
“Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream”.
Anybody want to bet that that a nice, convenient dust up with Iran will be both a “pally around the President” motif right before the election, give President Obama just a wee smidgen of creditability in terms of ‘protecting’ Israel *and* serve as justification/excuse for high gas prices?
It will take a month to get the additional minesweepers on station. Just sayin:)
They are not there to undertake combat missions unless fired upon.
They are there to instill confidence in our allies, Bravado, Intimidation and Provocation. There is a very high price to be paid for firing on a US Carrier with national assets.
If folks really want to understand where hot spots may emerge, look at the deployment of unrep, supply and ordnance shipping. That's what other military organizations track.
The USN is supreme on the seas. All the world's navies combined could not defeat them. They don't even think about that scenario.
Instead they track the supply vessels to help them figure out who is going to get their ass kicked next.
Not that there's anything anyone can do about it. They just want to know.
My thoughts too - he probably intends to "save the day" by limiting Israel and then claiming he stopped a lot of unecessary bllodshed - until Iran sends the first gift-wrapped nuke Israel's way; then Obama will claim they had it coming for all this talk of striking an "innocent" country that was "minding its own business".
post 4 - BINGO
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