The Navy Is Sending Everything It Needs For A War With Iran To The Strait Of Hormuz

Business Insider ^ | March 16, 2012 | Robert Johnson

[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..."

[DCBryan1]

The US Navy is being pre-positioned to shoot down IDF planes in order to protect Obama’s mooselimb brothers from further “capitalist imperalist aggression for oil”. <./alinsky sarcasm>

[mkjessup]

Thanks for the corrections and additions, you are absolutely correct.

[mkjessup]

While Israel might be the focus. The Gulf is the prize. Israel is a trifle compared to the wealth and resources of the GCC. Then there is Mecca and the Holy Shrines.
That is what is at stake.

What your astute observation tells me Bert, is that 0bama will be more than agreeable to throwing Israel under the bus for those very reasons.

Netanyahu and by extension, Israel cannot risk turning their back on 0bama for a nanosecond.

[nathanbedford]

Never mind the Ides of March, beware the Surprises of October

[mkjessup]

You might be right, but does he have commanders in place who are willing to order US pilots to down IAF planes?

THAT my FRiend is the proverbial $64 question.

Are US pilots willing to carry out those orders? Where would that leave Obama with the Jewish vote?

Quite frankly, a substantial number of self-loathing U.S. Jews who would vote for 0bama even if during a visit to Israel, they had to climb out of a radioactive bomb shelter in Tel Aviv to cast their absentee ballots.

[TheBattman]

No way - this just cannot be true. Our president is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning leader who promised peace, promised negotiations instead of war, who promised to get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan...

Oh - wait, this is the same guy who used US Military might to promote and support a revolution in Libya by radical Islamists (Muslim Brotherhood), who backed the Muslim Brotherhood in overthrowing a West-friendly government in Egypt, and who has fostered further unrest throughout the region...

[TheBattman]

[cookcounty]

"While Israel might be the focus. The Gulf is the prize. Israel is a trifle compared to the wealth and resources of the GCC. Then there is Mecca and the Holy Shrines."

Thanks for broadening the issue...you are correct.

[bert]

Your argument does have some merit but I prefer to believe that the GCC will ultimately be in coalition with Israel against IRAN.

They can settle their differences later after Syria and Iran are disposed.

I would suggest the buildup is to be ready for some Iranian aggressive screwup when Syria falls apart or begins to fall apart. With Syria gone, Iran is without the surrogates causing most of the problems.

[aviator]

March 22nd is the new moon. Just sayin’

[dforest]

I am surprised. The Navy never announces what it is doing.

My son was in the Navy and I never knew where he was.

[arthurus]

That has been my assessment. I would not be surprised if the IAF goes up to hit Iran it meets the USN which gives it the choice of fighting the US or turning back, or the USN just shoots down the IAF then takes out Israeli airfields. Or maybe we will do that pre-emptively.

[mkjessup]

I hope that both of us are wrong.

[G Larry]

No they’re not!

Senator Dan wouldn’t let them have what they “need”.

[Squantos]

Agree 100%..... He is protecting Iran.

[G Larry]

Even Obama wouldn’t put Israel in the position of having nuclear tipped missiles as their only option.

[arthurus]

Patriotic commanders have probably already been replaced by “reliable” officers. This is a thing Democrat Presidents do whether they are planning a war or not. Leftists always fear and mistrust the military. Clinton did it more spectacularly than other Democrats have done and purged all the services. That is why it took so long to get traction in Iraq. There was not an experienced and competent officer corps to wage the war. The success that came after the “surge” was because a new battle experienced and competent officer corps had had time to rise in the ranks and take charge.

[caww]

The GCC will ultimately be in coalition with Israel against IRAN......They can settle their differences later after Syria and Iran are disposed. I would suggest the buildup is to be ready for some Iranian aggressive screwup when Syria falls apart or begins to fall apart. With Syria gone, Iran is without the surrogates causing most of the problems.

Yes, I do believe you're likely right about this. Iran will not be happy about the fall Of Syria....but Syria isn't going down easily. Too many imagine this will go like Libya and a grave mistake to even think similar. It's a different beast altogether....especially with China and Russia supporting Assad.

[MarkL]

I don’t believe for one minute that 0bama is sending our Naval resources to the Persian Gulf/Straits of Hormuz for military action against Iran, he intends to use our forces as a ‘buffer’ between Israel and Iran, using our carriers to establish air superiority in the region in order to prevent Israel from carrying out any strikes against Iran.

Good point. Sort of like the way GHW Bush refused to allow Israel access to the friendly IFF codes, which effectively kept Israel out of the first gulf war, even with the scud missiles falling on Israel.

Mark

[M. Thatcher]

does he have commanders in place who are willing to order US pilots to down IAF planes? Are US pilots willing to carry out those orders? Where would that leave Obama with the Jewish vote?

Yes, yes, and unchanged.