MASSIVE US NAVAL ARMADA HEADS FOR IRAN

[Optimus]

Thursday, August 7, 2008
Massive US Naval Armada Heads For Iran
http://europebusines.blogspot.com/2008/08/massive-us-naval-armada-heads-for-iran.html
 
Operation Brimstone ended only one week ago. This was the joint US/UK/French naval war games in the Atlantic Ocean preparing for a naval blockade of Iran and the likely resulting war in the Persian Gulf area. The massive war games included a US Navy supercarrier battle group, an US Navy expeditionary carrier battle group, a Royal Navy carrier battle group, a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine plus a large number of US Navy cruisers, destroyers and frigates playing the "enemy force".

The lead American ship in these war games, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN71) and its Carrier Strike Group Two (CCSG-2) are now headed towards Iran along with the USS Ronald Reagon (CVN76) and its Carrier Strike Group Seven (CCSG-7) coming from Japan.

They are joining two existing USN battle groups in the Gulf area: the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) with its Carrier Strike Group Nine (CCSG-9); and the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) with its expeditionary strike group.

Likely also under way towards the Persian Gulf is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and its expeditionary strike group, the UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal (R07) carrier battle group, assorted French naval assets including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste and French Naval Rafale fighter jets on-board the USS Theodore Roosevelt. These ships took part in the just completed Operation Brimstone.

The build up of naval forces in the Gulf will be one of the largest multi-national naval armadas since the First and Second Gulf Wars. The intent is to create a US/EU naval blockade (which is an Act of War under international law) around Iran (with supporting air and land elements) to prevent the shipment of benzene and certain other refined oil products headed to Iranian ports. Iran has limited domestic oil refining capacity and imports 40% of its benzene. Cutting off benzene and other key products would cripple the Iranian economy. The neo-cons are counting on such a blockade launching a war with Iran.

The US Naval forces being assembled include the following:

Carrier Strike Group Nine
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing Two
Destroyer Squadron Nine:
USS Mobile Bay (CG53) guided missile cruiser
USS Russell (DDG59) guided missile destroyer
USS Momsen (DDG92) guided missile destroyer
USS Shoup (DDG86) guided missile destroyer
USS Ford (FFG54) guided missile frigate
USS Ingraham (FFG61) guided missile frigate
USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG60) guided missile frigate
USS Curts (FFG38) guided missile frigate
Plus one or more nuclear hunter-killer submarines

Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Peleliu (LHA-5) a Tarawa-class amphibious assault carrier
USS Pearl Harbor (LSD52) assult ship
USS Dubuque (LPD8) assult ship/landing dock
USS Cape St. George (CG71) guided missile cruiser
USS Halsey (DDG97) guided missile destroyer
USS Benfold (DDG65) guided missile destroyer

Carrier Strike Group Two
USS Theodore Roosevelt (DVN71) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing Eight
Destroyer Squadron 22
USS Monterey (CG61) guided missile cruiser
USS Mason (DDG87) guided missile destroyer
USS Nitze (DDG94) guided missile destroyer
USS Sullivans (DDG68) guided missile destroyer

USS Springfield (SSN761) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine

IWO ESG ~ Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group
USS Iwo Jima (LHD7) amphibious assault carrier
with its Amphibious Squadron Four
and with its 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
USS San Antonio (LPD17) assault ship
USS Velia Gulf (CG72) guided missile cruiser
USS Ramage (DDG61) guided missile destroyer
USS Carter Hall (LSD50) assault ship
USS Roosevelt (DDG80) guided missile destroyer

USS Hartfore (SSN768) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine

Carrier Strike Group Seven
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN76) nuclear powered supercarrier
with its Carrier Air Wing 14
Destroyer Squadron 7
USS Chancellorsville (CG62) guided missile cruiser
USS Howard (DDG83) guided missile destroyer
USS Gridley (DDG101) guided missile destroyer
USS Decatur (DDG73) guided missile destroyer
USS Thach (FFG43) guided missile frigate
USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7) fast combat support ship

Also likely to join the battle armada:

UK Royal Navy HMS Ark Royal Carrier Strike Group with assorted guided missile destroyers and frigates, nuclear hunter-killer submarines and support ships

French Navy nuclear powered hunter-killer submarines (likely the Amethyste and perhaps others), plus French Naval Rafale fighter jets operating off of the USS Theodore Roosevelt as the French Carrier Charles de Gaulle is in dry dock, and assorted surface warships

Various other US Navy warships and submarines and support ships. The following USN ships took part (as the "enemy" forces) in Operation Brimstone and several may join in:

USS San Jacinto (CG56) guided missile cruiser
USS Anzio (CG68) guided missile cruiser
USS Normandy (CG60) guided missile cruiser
USS Carney (DDG64) guided missile destroyer
USS Oscar Austin (DDG79) guided missile destroyer
USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG81) guided missile destroyer
USS Carr (FFG52) guided missile frigate

The USS Iwo Jima and USS Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Groups have USMC Harrier jump jets and an assortment of assault and attack helicopters. The Expeditionary Strike Groups have powerful USMC Expeditionary Units with amphibious armor and ground forces trained for operating in shallow waters and in seizures of land assets, such as Qeshm Island (a 50 mile long island off of Bandar Abbas in the Gulf of Hormuz and headquarters of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps).

The large and very advanced nature of the US Naval warships is not only directed at Iran. There is a great fear that Russia and China may oppose the naval and air/land blockade of Iran. If Russian and perhaps Chinese naval warships escort commercial tankers to Iran in violation of the blockade it could be the most dangerous at-sea confrontation since the Cuban Missile Crisis. The US and allied Navies, by front loading a Naval blockade force with very powerful guided missile warships and strike carriers is attempting to have a force so powerful that Russia and China will not be tempted to mess with. This is a most serious game of military brinkmanship with major nuclear armed powers that have profound objections to the neo-con grand strategy and to western control of all of the Middle East's oil supply.

The Russian Navy this spring sent a major battle fleet into the Mediterranean headed by the modern aircraft carrier the Admiral Kuznetsov and the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, the Guided Missile Heavy Cruiser Moskva. This powerful fleet has at least 11 surface ships and unknown numbers of subs and can use the Russian naval facility at Syria's Tartous port for resupply. The Admiral Kuznetsov carries approximately 47 warplanes and 10 helicopters. The warplanes are mostly the powerful Su-33, a naval version (with mid-air refueling capability) of the Su-27 family. While the Su-33 is a very powerful warplane it lacks the power of the stealth USAF F-22. However, the Russians insist that they have developed a plasma based system that allows them to stealth any aircraft and a recent incident where Russian fighters were able to appear unannounced over a US Navy carrier battle group tends to confirm their claims. The Su-33 can be armed with the 3M82 Moskit sea-skimming missile (NATO code name SS-N-22 Sunburn) and the even more powerful P-800 Oniks (also named Yakhonts; NATO code name SS-N-26 Onyx). Both missiles are designed to kill US Navy supercarriers by getting past the cruiser/destroyer screen and the USN point-defense Phalanx system by using high supersonic speeds and violent end maneuvers. Russian subs currently use the underwater rocket VA-111 Shkval (Squall), which is fired from standard 533mm torpedo tubes and reaches a speed of 360kph (230mph) underwater. There is no effective countermeasures to this system and no western counterpart.

A strategic diversion has been created for Russia. The Republic of Georgia, with US backing, is actively preparing for war on South Ossetia. The South Ossetia capital has been shelled and a large Georgian tank force has been heading towards the border. Russia has stated that it will not sit by and allow the Georgians to attack South Ossetia. The Russians are great chess players and this game may not turn out so well for the neo-cons.

Kuwait has activated its "Emergency War Plan" as it and other Gulf nations prepare for the likelihood of a major regional war in the Middle East involving weapons of mass destruction.

The two-ton elephant in the living room of the neo-con strategy is the advanced biowar (ABW) that Iran, and to a lessor extent Syria, has. This places the motherlands of the major neo-con nations (America, France, the United Kingdom), as well as Israel, in grave danger. When the Soviet Union fell the Iranians hired as many out-of-work former Soviet advanced biowar experts as possible. In the last 15 or so years they have helped to develop a truly world class ABW program utilizing recombination DNA genetic engineering technology to create a large number of man made killer viruses. This form of weapon system does not require high tech military delivery systems. The viruses are sub-microscopic and once seeded in a population use the population itself as vectors. Seeding can be done without notice in shopping malls, churches, and other public places. The only real defense to an advanced global strategic biowar attack is to lock down the population as rapidly as possible and let those infected die off.

Unless the public gets it act together and forces the neo-cons to stop the march to yet another war in the Middle East we are apt to see a truly horrific nightmare unfold in OUR COUNTRIES.

[doublethink]

I can hear the War Drums beating

[rubbertramp]

I can't find a thing, and tend to take blogs with a grain of salt. any other link would be appreciated.

[larsonstdoc]

  Ray McGovern on Alex's Show yesterday (8-7-08) predicted war with in Iran starting in September or October.  The idea is to help McCain's sagging poll numbers. 

[rubbertramp]

  Ray McGovern on Alex's Show yesterday (8-7-08) predicted war with in Iran starting in September or October.  The idea is to help McCain's sagging poll numbers. 

I missed it, but how would war w/iran help his pole numbers?

[doublethink]

hes from the military, the sheeple would trust him over obama for security

[Optimus]

I can't find a thing, and tend to take blogs with a grain of salt. any other link would be appreciated.

U.S. Aircraft Carriers Head For The Gulf; Kuwait Prepares "Emergency War Plan"
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011874353
August 8, 2008 6:09 a.m. EST

Dave Kaiser - AHN

Kuwait City, Kuwait (AHN) -- Two additional U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are on their way to the Gulf and the Red Sea, according to Kuwait Times. Kuwait began finalizing its "emergency war plan" on being told the vessels were bound for the region.

The U.S. Navy will neither confirm nor deny that carriers are currently en route. U.S. Fifth Fleet Combined Maritime Command located in Bahrain said it could not comment because of what a spokesman termed "force-protection policy."

While the Kuwaiti daily did not name the ships it believes are heading for the Middle East, The Media Line's (TML) defense analyst said they could be the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Ronald Reagan.

Within the last month, the Roosevelt completed an exercise along the U.S. east coast focusing on communication among navies of different countries. Since then, it has since been declared ready for operational duties.

The Reagan, currently with the Seventh Fleet, has just set sail from Japan.

The Seventh Fleet area of operation stretches from the East Coast of Africa to the International Date Line.

Meanwhile, the Arabic news agency Moheet reported at the end of July that an unnamed American destroyer, accompanied by two Israeli naval vessels traveled through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean. A week earlier, a U.S. nuclear submarine accompanied by a destroyer and a supply ship moved into the Mediterranean, according to Moheet.

At present, two U.S. naval battle groups operate in the Gulf: one is an aircraft carrier group, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, which carries some 65-fighter aircraft. The other group, headed by the USS Peleliu, maintains a variety of planes and strike helicopters.

The ship movements coincide with the latest downturn in relations between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. and Iran are at odds over Iran's nuclear program, which the Bush administration claims is aimed at producing material for nuclear weapons; however, Tehran argues it is only for power generation.

Kuwait, like other Arab countries in the Gulf, fears it will be caught in the middle should the U.S. decide to launch an air strike against Iran if negotiations fail. The Kuwaitis are finalizing details of their security, humanitarian and vital services, the newspaper reported.

The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council - Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman - lie just across the Gulf from Iran. Generals in the Iranian military have repeatedly warned it will target American interests in the region if the U.S. or its Western allies launch a military strike.

Bahrain hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, while there is a sizeable American base in Qatar. It is assumed the U.S. also has military personnel in the other Gulf states, TML's defense analyst said.

Iran is thought to have intelligence operatives working in the GCC states, according to Dubai-based military analysts.

The standoff between the U.S. and Iran has left the Arab nations' political leaders in something of a bind. The TML analyst said Washington and Tehran are using Arab nations as pawns.

Iran is offering them economic and industrial sweeteners, while the U.S. is boosting their defense capabilities. Presidents George W. Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad have paid visits to the GCC states in a bid to win their support.

[rubbertramp]

Yes, this has been confirmed, and is not good, but it's still a long shot from all the ships listed in the blog.

[Optimus]

Yes, this has been confirmed, and is not good, but it's still a long shot from all the ships listed in the blog.

This is true but carriers always have support vessels that are with them. We need to keep an eye on the situation for more news to come out.

[larsonstdoc]

   Alex is saying this on his show today (8-8-08).

[bigron]

Route24 !!!

Great Posts   !!!

Thanks

[Draskinn]

You know I’m getting a little sick of the sound of drums.

When the bombs start to fall at the very least gas will double if not more and shipping will mostly stop in the USA.

Dang it, I have to start buying some canned food…

[Freeski]

You know I’m getting a little sick of the sound of drums.

When the bombs start to fall at the very least gas will double if not more and shipping will mostly stop in the USA.

Dang it, I have to start buying some canned food…

Don't forget the can openers dude - yes plural, 'cause they break.

[XR500Final]

Yes Operation Brimstone was a real event

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_carrier_0728jul28,0,1632649.story

[XR500Final]

One of the things that everyone is missing is the EU has just imposed fresh sanctions on Iran as well, and this sound like a coming armada of a naval blockade on Iran...

It seems that Russia is thinking 'many steps ahead.' and knows how the US planned to play it out.  So to pre-empt them they invaded Georgia to seize resources.

It is a strategic move on their part as major pipelines that supply US and the Western countries are supplied through Georgia.

It is important to note that a complete black out on CNN is occuring - it is almost more important HOW things are - or are not reported even more than WHAT is reported...  If CNN is not reporting on this, then the powers that be in the western world DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT.  If they did there would be wall to wall live coverage of the event.  This is more important than the news of the information itself - it means this is a REAL DIALECTIC, NOT A CONTRIVED ONE.

It is a 'pawn move' by Russia, before the US sets up its naval blockade.

[GentlemanVillain]

BILAAM'S PROPHECY

Many Jews believe that the "combined naval forces" of the West must be sunk in the Gulf of Arabia by Persia before their Moschiach can come to power in the 3rd temple.

Whenever I read about US/NATO naval fleets moving to the Persian gulf...or hear Congressman talking about a blockade at the straits of Hormuz...I remember Bilaam's prophecy.

[Filthy Rich]

... And all of this so nicely covered up by Edward's Infidelity [and something about Georgia vs. Russia, but between the Edwards "scandal", Obama worship, the (ugh) Olympics in China, and American Idol that kind of got swept under the radar too... Oh, and wasn't CERN supposed to start up today too???]

Classic Information Overload by the "Overlords" 

[Freeski]

BILAAM'S PROPHECY

Many Jews believe that the "combined naval forces" of the West must be sunk in the Gulf of Arabia by Persia before their Moschiach can come to power in the 3rd temple.

Whenever I read about US/NATO naval fleets moving to the Persian gulf...or hear Congressman talking about a blockade at the straits of Hormuz...I remember Bilaam's prophecy.

prophecy or blueprint?

[Optimus]

One of the things that everyone is missing is the EU has just imposed fresh sanctions on Iran as well, and this sound like a coming armada of a naval blockade on Iran...

It seems that Russia is thinking 'many steps ahead.' and knows how the US planned to play it out.  So to pre-empt them they invaded Georgia to seize resources.

It is a strategic move on their part as major pipelines that supply US and the Western countries are supplied through Georgia.

It is important to note that a complete black out on CNN is occuring - it is almost more important HOW things are - or are not reported even more than WHAT is reported...  If CNN is not reporting on this, then the powers that be in the western world DOES NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT.  If they did there would be wall to wall live coverage of the event.  This is more important than the news of the information itself - it means this is a REAL DIALECTIC, NOT A CONTRIVED ONE.

It is a 'pawn move' by Russia, before the US sets up its naval blockade.

Nice analysis.

[Freeski]

Nice analysis.

No shit. I don't do TV and rely on newspaper boxes and the web for the "mainstream version" of the days events. Hardly a mention on TV?

[Optimus]

Three major US naval strike forces due this week in Persian Gulf
http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5499
August 11, 2008, 10:37 AM (GMT+02:00)


New America armada around Iran

DEBKAfile’s military sources note that the arrival of the three new American flotillas will raise to five the number of US strike forces in Middle East waters – an unprecedented build-up since the crisis erupted over Iran’s nuclear program.

This vast naval and air strength consists of more than 40 carriers, warships and submarines, some of the last nuclear-armed, opposite the Islamic Republic, a concentration last seen just before the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Our military sources postulate five objects of this show of American muscle:

1. The US, aided also by France, Britain and Canada, is finalizing preparations for a partial naval blockade to deny Iran imports of benzene and other refined oil products. This action would indicate that the Bush administration had thrown in the towel on stiff United Nations sanctions and decided to take matters in its own hands.

2. Iran, which imports 40 percent of its refined fuel products from Gulf neighbors, will retaliate for the embargo by shutting the Strait of Hormuz oil route chokepoint, in which case the US naval and air force stand ready to reopen the Strait and fight back any Iranian attempt to break through the blockade.

3. Washington is deploying forces as back-up for a possible Israeli military attack on Iran’s nuclear installations.

4. A potential rush of events in which a US-led blockade, Israeli attack and Iranian reprisals pile up in a very short time and precipitate a major military crisis.

5. While a massive deployment of this nature calls for long planning, its occurrence at this time cannot be divorced from the flare-up of the Caucasian war between Russia and Georgia. While Russia has strengthened its stake in Caspian oil resources by its overwhelming military intervention against Georgia, the Americans are investing might in defending the primary Persian Gulf oil sources of the West and the Far East.

DEBKAfile’s military sources name the three US strike forces en route to the Gulf as the USS Theodore Roosevelt , the USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Iwo Jima . Already in place are the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea opposite Iranian shores and the USS Peleliu which is cruising in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

[Optimus]

Analysis: Is war in the (Gulf) air?
http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/08/11/analysis_is_war_in_the_gulf_air/ca8a/
By CLAUDE SALHANI (UPI Contributing Editor)Published: August 11, 2008

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- No sooner had Operation Brimstone ended -- a mega joint U.S., British and French naval exercise held in the Atlantic Ocean where the allies practiced enforcing an eventual blockade on Iran -- when, according to numerous reports, the armada set sail for the Gulf waters -- and a potential showdown with Iran.

The move comes shortly after the European Union issued a decree Friday authorizing the imposition of stronger sanctions against Iran, on top of existing U.N. Security Council sanctions, over its refusal to back down from its controversial nuclear program.

Leading the joint naval task force is the nuclear-powered carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its Carrier Strike Group Two; besides its 80-plus combat planes the Roosevelt normally transports, it is carrying an additional load of French Naval Rafale fighter jets from the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, currently in dry dock.

Also reported heading toward Iran is another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan and its Carrier Strike Group Seven; the USS Iwo Jima, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and a number of French warships, including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste.

Once on site, the joint naval force in the Persian Gulf region will be joining two other U.S. naval battle groups already in position: the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Peleliu; the Lincoln with its carrier strike group and the latter with an expeditionary strike group.

Meanwhile, Tehran seems undeterred, saying it will not back down on its nuclear stance, regardless of the threat of stricter sanctions, an Iranian government spokesman said Sunday.

And a European diplomat was quoted as saying that Britain, the United States and France could impose sanctions that go beyond what is called for by the United Nations, in essence giving weight to the formidable armada currently heading toward Iran.

"It is important that our country is ready to insist on its rights under any conditions," Iranian spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham was quoted by the Iranian Students' News Agency. "Our stance would not change with sanctions or the threat of sanctions," added the spokesman.

Led by the United States and leading EU members Britain, France and Germany and supported by China and Russia, all have tried to persuade Iran to freeze its uranium enrichment program.

Expecting a formal reply from Iran, the six nations leading the charge against Iran's nuclear ambitions were disappointed when the much awaited reply was a non-committal one-page letter, despite a promise from Iran that it would provide a "clear response."

The deployment of the multinational naval task force is the largest show of military power from the United States and allied countries to assemble around the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf since the First and Second Gulf wars.

The object of the naval deployment would be to enforce an eventual blockade on Iran, if, as expected by many observers, current negotiations with the Islamic republic over its insistence to pursue enrichment of uranium yield no results.

For Iran, however, a naval blockade preventing it from importing refined oil would have devastating effects on its economy, virtually crippling the Islamic republic's infrastructure. Although Iran is a major oil producer and exporter, the country lacks refining facilities, having to re-import its own oil once refined.

Iran's oil -- both the exported crude as well as the returning refined product -- passes through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, controlled by Iran on one side and the Sultanate of Oman -- a U.S. ally -- on the other. The strait is about 30 miles wide at its narrowest point, making it easy to control, but at the same time placing Western naval vessels within easy reach of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' fast-moving light craft which could be used by Iranian suicide bombers.

Iranian Parliamentary Deputy Alaeddin Boroujerdi said imposing new EU sanctions against the Islamic Republic will "damage" the West, Iran's Press TV reported. "Any measure by the European Union ahead of the end of talks between Iran and the five Security Council veto holders plus Germany will be unacceptable," Boroujerdi, the head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told the Islamic Republic News Agency. The Iranian MP said Iran and the EU enjoy a high level of trade and economic cooperation and added sanctions would have adverse consequences on their positive mutual ties.

Boroujerdi asked Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, to hold a second round of talks with Iran.

Iran is now playing for time, hoping to ride out the remaining 160-plus days of the George W. Bush presidency. The question now is whether the Western powers will blink or call Iran's bluff.

[Optimus]

08/11/2008 13:34
PERSIAN GULF
War ships, planes, missiles amassing around Gulf
In preparation for the UN decision on new sanctions against Iran over of its nuclear program, while Tehran considers blockading the Strait of Hormuz, Western fleets are approaching. Saudi Arabia is buying jets, and Kuwait is activating its "emergency war plan".
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=12980&size=A



Kuwait City (AsianNews) - Iran says that it is "ready to confront sanctions" from the UN in connection with its nuclear program, which will continue forward "under any circumstances"; Saudi Arabia is preparing to buy 72 more Eurofighter Typhoon jets; United States, British, and French warships are increasing the military presence in the Persian Gulf; Kuwait is activating its "emergency war plan".

There's a show of muscle in the Gulf, in preparation for the report from the deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Olli Heinonen, who visited Tehran on August 7 to clarify the offer of the "5 plus 1" (the permanent members of the UN Security Council - United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, and France - plus Germany) in exchange for the suspension of Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment program. The Iranian response - expected to be a rejection or a delay - will bring a request for a new sanctions, which could be discussed at the next general assembly of the United Nations, scheduled for September 23- October 1.

In recent days, Arab observers have emphasized the concurrence of the threat of new sanctions, and Iran's announcement that it has prepared ground-to-air missiles with a range of 300 kilometers, which is more than sufficient to close the "oil gate": the Strait of Hormuz, about 50 kilometers wide, between Iran and Oman. The Middle East Times highlights that Western aircraft carriers and battleships are approaching the Gulf, on their return from exercises in the Atlantic aimed at breaking a possible blockade of the Strait. It is the largest naval deployment in these waters since the two Gulf wars.

Beyond the unfortunate hypothesis of a military confrontation, the presence of Western naval forces could suggest a blockade of Iranian oil exports and imports. Although it is the second largest oil producer in OPEC, Iran is forced to import gasoline, because its refineries are insufficient for its domestic needs. Fuel is already being rationed, and a blockade of its imports would have a devastating impact on the Iranian economy.

[Aerioch]

What is the percent of the total U.S. Navy currently in, or headed to the Persian Gulf/Med. Sea?

That number would be damming if pumped into public view.  I bet the U.S. numbers alone would be on par, or even higher then the percentage used in the First invasion of Iraq in 1991.

[GoodBush]

Doesn't this mean our own nation(USA) is sparsely guarded?  

Kinda unnerving.

[Loungin]

Doesn't this mean our own nation(USA) is sparsely guarded?  

Kinda unnerving.

Indeed.  I remember hearing about hidden Russian military equipment in Canada back around Christmas of last year.  Not sure what ever came of that and whether it was disproven.

[Optimus]

Doesn't this mean our own nation(USA) is sparsely guarded?  

Kinda unnerving.

Sure does. They have probably hung out the vacancy sign too.

[Monkeypox]

Doesn't this mean our own nation(USA) is sparsely guarded?  

Kinda unnerving.

We don't really "guard" our homeland.   Our strategy has always been forward projection of power and the threat of massive retaliation if attacked.

[GoodBush]

Uh, check this out. Guess who pulls into San Diego on 8-8-08?

Naval Base San Diego Welcomes U.S. Coast Guard Tall Ship

Written by Walter T. Ham IV     
Monday, 11 August 2008 
SAN DIEGO – Making its second of three port visits to San Diego, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter USCG Eagle pulled into Naval Base San Diego August 8.

U.S. Navy photo by Walter T. Ham IV USCG Eagle pulls into Naval Base San Diego Aug. 8.  The U.S. Coast Guard tall ship is making its second of three port visits to San Diego. 

A New London, Conn.-based training ship for future Coast Guard officers, Eagle is currently on its summer journey. Eagle previously stopped in San Diego in May 2008 and has made other visits to North American west coast ports.

“This magnificent, sail-powered ship serves as a reminder of our nation’s and this city’s sea-faring heritage,” said NBSD Commanding Officer Rear Adm. (Sel.) Dixon Smith.

The U.S. government’s only square-rigger, the Eagle is hosting tours for Sailors and their families while moored at NBSD. The ship will return to San Diego later this month for the 2008 Festival of Sail – a gathering of international tall ships along San Diego’s downtown embarcadero. Two Coast Guard cutters are stationed at NBSD – USCGC Chase (WHEC 718) and USCGC Hamilton (WHEC 715).

“Along with the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard is a partner in implementing the nation’s maritime strategy,” said Smith. “So we are always happy to host them here.”

One of the Navy’s principal surface warfare installations, Naval Base San Diego supports 53 ships, more than 120 tenant commands and more than 35,000 servicemembers and civilian employees.

NBSD is home to the majority of the Pacific Fleet’s surface combatants, all of the Navy’s west coast amphibious ships and a number of Coast Guard and Military Sealift Command vessels.

For related news, visit the Naval Base San Diego Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/NBSD/.


 http://www.navycompass.com/content/view/719/322/

 
How......ironic?

[DanielRD]

Well Well Well I see some very good posts ..........     If I may I would like to add a thought....
It is hard to imagine.... but I am a believer in a theory that goes beyond symbols, flags, and borders.
I believe this is more of a global effort to kill as many as possible, and if possible kill us all.  The same people are running both sides, all sides really, and while we all run around going who did what and when, they slip the pieces closer together while were not looking.  We have seen this before, and if memory serves me correctly, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

[Freeski]

Well Well Well I see some very good posts ..........     If I may I would like to add a thought....
It is hard to imagine.... but I am a believer in a theory that goes beyond symbols, flags, and borders.
I believe this is more of a global effort to kill as many as possible, and if possible kill us all.  The same people are running both sides, all sides really, and while we all run around going who did what and when, they slip the pieces closer together while were not looking.  We have seen this before, and if memory serves me correctly, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Nicely said!

[Al-CIAda]

Well, Iran has the capacity of sending that fleet to the bottom of the sea. Are they to be pawn sacked to kickstart WW III?

[Optimus]

What a bunch of bunk!


Aug 14, 2008 0:23 | Updated Aug 14, 2008 8:04
US official: Reports of Iran blockade are false
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218446196985&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Reports that a large American, British and French naval force - made up of nuclear aircraft carriers carrying dozens of fighter jets, warships and submarines - is en route to the Persian Gulf to blockade Iran are untrue, the US Department of Defense told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

"As a matter of policy we do not discuss current or future ship's movements. However, I can tell you that reports of an alleged naval blockade of Iran are false," said Lt.-Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

"We routinely rotate deployed naval forces in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility to maintain our commitment to promoting security and stability in the region," he added. The US Central Command covers the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia.

On Monday, Egypt's Middle East Times said Kuwait had activated its Emergency War Plan after learning that a "massive US and European armada is reported heading for the region."

The news report said the force "comprises a US Navy super carrier battle group and is accompanied by an expeditionary carrier battle group, a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine," adding that it was being led by the nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which carries 80 combat jets, and which is accompanied by the Carrier Strike Group Two.

The carrier also had French Naval Rafale fighter jets on board, the report added.

"Also reported heading toward Iran is another nuclear-powered carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan and its Carrier Strike Group Seven; the USS Iwo Jima [amphibious assault ship], the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and a number of French warships, including the nuclear hunter-killer submarine Amethyste," the Middle East Times reported. The force will join two other American naval battle groups in the Gulf, the report added.

Some of the ships were allegedly involved in Operation Brimstone, held in the Atlantic last week, which simulated a naval blockade of Iran, the Middle East Times said.

Shortly after the report was published, Iran navy commander Ali Muhammad Salami announced on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic's navy would conduct its own exercise, the Teheran Times reported.

[Loungin]

Misinformation at it's finest.  We really are prepping for war.

[ConcordeWarrior]

Yeah... just as if they were mobilizing this massive fleet for nothing. BushCoSarko (or is it SarkoBushco?) are really playing us for the fools we are not.

[DanielRD]

TY FreeSki

Geez never thought I would get to quote Lemmy...

"Stay clean, be true,
do whatever you can do,
Make it soon, or we all die,
Ten thousand years, and all we got is Suicide..."

It is beyond logic and all common sense that the human race allow this to happen....like a nightmare only ya can't wake up, cause you are....

GB

[roguewave]

TY FreeSki

Geez never thought I would get to quote Lemmy...

"Stay clean, be true,
do whatever you can do,
Make it soon, or we all die,
Ten thousand years, and all we got is Suicide..."

It is beyond logic and all common sense that the human race allow this to happen....like a nightmare only ya can't wake up, cause you are....

GB

Am I experiencing dejva vu? I could have sworn I've seen you use this quote a few times tonight.

[Optimus]

U.S. sends two more carrier groups to Iran‘s seas
http://www.workers.org/2008/world/iran_0821/
By Dustin Langley

Published Aug 15, 2008 10:50 PM

Aug. 12—The impending arrival of new U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf region will mark the largest build-up of U.S. naval forces in the area since the 1991 Gulf War.

The aircraft carriers USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan, along with the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, are sailing toward the Persian Gulf to reinforce the U.S. strike forces in the region, along with a British Royal Navy carrier battle group and a French nuclear hunter-killer submarine.

This move follows the ominous Operation Brimstone, a massive military exercise involving more than a dozen warships from the U.S., England and France in the Atlantic Ocean in preparation for a possible confrontation with Iran.

The USS Roosevelt, which participated in the just-concluded exercise, and the USS Ronald Reagan will join two U.S. naval battle groups in the area: the USS Abraham Lincoln with its Carrier Strike Group Nine; and the USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship, with its expeditionary strike group.

This massive deployment means that hundreds of nuclear-armed warplanes, thousands of troops, and destroyers capable of launching cruise missiles carrying nuclear weapons, bunker busters, or fragmentation bombs will be available for a strike on Iran. While Russia is bogged down with the crisis in Georgia, and China is occupied with the Olympics, the Bush administration may believe that this is an opportune time to strike. This massive deployment is occurring as both houses of Congress are set to approve resolutions that would mandate a U.S. blockade, itself an act of war under international law.

Organizers with the Stop War on Iran Campaign (SWOI), who initiated the Aug. 2 National Day of Action and report that protests occurred in more than 100 cities, call this deployment of naval forces an ominous sign that demands a response from the anti-war movement.

Sara Flounders, a SWOI organizer, said, “This massive military mobilization sends a clear signal that we must take action now to prevent another criminal U.S. war. In the next few days and weeks, we will be mobilizing in the streets against an attack on Iran. As we write, we are preparing placards, banners and printed material to take to the Republican and Democratic national convention protests. We know that the only force that will stop the drive to war is a grassroots people’s movement.”

For more information and updates, see www.StopWarOnIran.org

[Optimus]

Blockades: Acts of War
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/08/blockades-acts-of-war/
by Stephen Lendman / August 19th, 2008

From July 21-31, Joint Task Force (mostly US, but also UK, Brazil and Italy) “Operation Brimstone” large scale war games were conducted off the US East coast in the North Atlantic. Its purpose may have been to prepare for a naval blockade of Iran. Initial reports after its completion were that participating ships were deployed to Persian Gulf and Arabian and Red Sea locations to join up with the present American strike force in the region. The major media cover none of this, and US Navy sources deny it. So precise information is unclear. From what’s known, however, redeployment may be planned, and a blockade may ensue. The situation remains tense and worrisome.

Under international and US law, blockades are acts of war and variously defined as:

surrounding a nation or objective with hostile forces;
measures to isolate an enemy;
encirclement and besieging;
preventing the passage in or out of supplies, military forces or aid in time of or as an act of war; and
an act of naval warfare to block access to an enemy’s coastline and deny entry to all vessels and aircraft.
In 2009, it’s believed that the International Criminal Court in the Hague will include blockades against coasts and ports as acts of war.

International law expert Professor Francis Boyle is very outspoken on this topic as well as on others of equal importance. He defines blockades under international and US law as:

belligerent measures taken by a nation (to) prevent passage of vessels or aircraft to and from another country. Customary international law recognizes blockades as an act of war because of the belligerent use of force even against third party nations in enforcing the blockade. Blockades as acts of war have been recognized as such in the Declaration of Paris of 1856 and the Declaration of London of 1909 that delineate the international rules of warfare.

America approved these Declarations, so they’re binding US law as well “as part of general international law and customary international law.” Past US presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower and Jack Kennedy, called blockades acts of war. So has the US Supreme Court.

In Bas v. Tingy (1800), the High Court addressed the constitutionality of fighting an undeclared war. Boyle explained that it ruled that “the seizure of a French vessel (is) an act of hostility or reprisal requiring Congressional approval…. The Court held that Congress pursuant to Constitutional war powers had authorized hostilities on the high seas under certain circumstances.” The Court cited Talbot v. Seaman (1801) in ruling that “specific legislative authority was required in the seizure….”

In Little v. Barreme (1804), the Court held that “even an order from the President could not justify or excuse an act that violated the laws and customs of warfare. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that a captain of a United States warship could be held personally liable in trespass for wrongfully seizing a neutral Danish ship, even though” presidential authority ordered it. Only Congress has that power. “The Court’s position seems consistent with a typical trespass case, where defendants are liable even when they have a reasonable, good faith (but mistaken) belief in authority to enter on the plaintiff’s land.”

Boyle cites “The Prize Cases” (1863) as the most definitive Supreme Court ruling on blockades requiring congressional authorization. The case involved President Lincoln’s ordering “a blockade of coastal states that had joined the Confederacy at the outset of the Civil War. The Court… explicitly (ruled) that a blockade is an act of war and is legal only if properly authorized under the Constitution.” It stated:

The power of declaring war is the highest sovereign power, and is limited to the representative of the full sovereignty of the nation. It is limited in the United States to its Congress exclusively; and the authority of the President to be the Commander-in-Chief… to take that the law be faithfully executed, is to be taken in connection with the exclusive power given to Congress to declare war, and does not enable the President to (do it) or to introduce, without Act of Congress, War or any of its legal disabilities or liabilities, on any citizen of the United States.

Article I of the Constitution pertains to powers “vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.” Section 8 relates to powers “to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and welfare of the United States….” Two Section 8 clauses relate to this article.

– clause 14: to “make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;” and most importantly

– clause 11: “to declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning capture on land and water.”

The framers believed that no single official, including the President, should ever have sole authority over this most crucial of all constitutional powers because of how easily it can be abused as post-WW II history shows. In 1793, James Madison wrote that the “fundamental doctrine of the Constitution… to declare war is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature.” During the 1787 Constitutional Convention, George Mason said that the President “is not safely to be trusted with” the power to declare war. Nonetheless, Congress only observed its responsibility five times in the nation’s history, lastly on December 8, 1941 following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day.

All treaties to which America is a signatory, including the UN Charter, are binding US law. Its Chapter VII authorizes only the Security Council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, or act of aggression (and, if necessary, take military or other actions to) restore international peace and stability.” It permits a nation to use force (including blockades) only under two conditions: when authorized by the Security Council or under Article 51 allowing the “right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member… until the Security Council has taken measures to maintain international peace and security.”

Iran poses no threat to the US, its neighbors, or any other nations, including Israel. Imposing a blockade against it violates the UN Charter and other international and US law. It will constitute an illegal act of aggression that under the Nuremberg Charter is the “supreme international crime” above all others. It will make the Bush administration, every supportive congressional member, and governments of other participating nations criminally liable.

Two more events further up the stakes. On April 3, in spite of strong public opposition, the Czech Republic agreed to the installation of US “advanced tracking missile defense radar” by 2012. On July 9, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement responded: “We will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods.”

Then on August 14, Poland defied its own people and most Europeans by agreeing to allow offensive “interceptor missiles” on its soil. Legislatures of both countries must approve it, but that will likely follow. Deployment is reckless and indefensible and will head the world closer to serious confrontation.

For two countries wracked by prior wars, these actions are irresponsible and foolhardy. They further heighten tensions and assure a new Cold War arms race or much worse. Russia’s deputy military chief of staff, General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, stated: Poland is “exposing itself to a strike, 100%.” Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said: “The deployment (aims at) the Russian Federation.” Even Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk showed fear by his comment that “We have crossed the Rubicon.” Yet he did it anyway. Where this is heading remains to be seen, but the signs are deeply worrisome.

So is the possibility that Washington will blockade or attack Iran before year end. Things won’t likely crystallize before Congress reconvenes in September after both parties hold their nominating conventions.

Hopefully a wider Middle East war will be avoided because of what might follow. What Barbara Tuchman recounted in her 1962 book, The Guns of August, on how WW I war began and its early weeks. Once started, things spun out of control with cataclysmic consequences. Before it ended, over 20 million died, at least that many more were wounded, and a generation of young men was erased.

Igniting another world conflict should give everyone pause. Especially given the destructive power of today’s weapons and the Bush administration’s design for “full spectrum dominance” and stated unilateral right to achieve it with first-strike nuclear weapons. Avoiding that possibility is the top priority of every world leader. It’s unclear if any are up to the challenge.