Massive US Naval Armada Heads For Iran

[WoodPeckr]

Think of all the fuel being wasted here!.....

Thursday, August 7, 2008
Stirling
Massive US Naval Armada Heads For Iran

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. UPDATE 8 August 2008 ~ War has broken out between Georgia and South Ossetia. At least 10 Russian troops have been killed and 30 wounded and 2 Russian fighter jets downed. American Marines, a thousand of them, have recently been in Georgia training the Georgian military forces. Several European nations stopped Bush and others from allowing Georgia into NATO. Russia is moving a large military force with armor towards the area. This could get bad, and remember it is just a strategic diversion....but one that could have horrific effects. Link to story "Russia sends forces into Georgia rebel conflict". FURTHER UPDATE ~ Russian military forces in active combat; now total of four Russian fighter jets reported downed.

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.


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.

Stirling

 

[Pargolfer]

I understand that Canada contributed a

canoe and a kyack to the joint US/UK/France naval armada for the exercise.Good news is that we didn't use much fuel.....

 

[fuji]

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.

I suspect this is being overstated, but if it's for real, WOO! ABOUT TIME.

 

[Bud Plug]

Earl of Stirling = dormant title in the Peerage of Scotland, last held in 1739.

Earl of Stirling = blowhard blogger on a multitude of topics.

 

[jwmorrice]

I suspect this is being overstated, but if it's for real, WOO! ABOUT TIME.

I'll say. Let's get the price of oil back up there!!!

jwm

 

[persis]

War on Iran = You Die from Biowar
http://europebusines.blogspot.com/2007/10/war-on-iran-you-die-from-biowar.html
If we were about to launch a massive attack and wage war on nuclear armed Russia and China, there would be mass fear, panic, and widespread knowledge that the END would be upon most of us....that the resulting counter-strike from Russian and Chinese nuclear forces would kill most of us. However, we are rapidly approaching war with Iran, a nation that can deliver the same level of death upon Americans, Canadians, Europeans, etc. that the combined nuclear weapons of Russian and China can deliver. Yet, most people do not understand the real and present grave danger to themselves and their families, neighbors, co-workers, etc. We remain focused on the stock market, the price of oil, the next election, sports, etc., and fully expect to see 2008 and beyond.

We have been conditioned, by seeing films of mushroom clouds and images of nuclear destruction in Japan at the end of WWII, to have some understanding of the horrific effects of a nuclear war. We have NOT been conditioned to understand the effects of Twenty-first Century advanced biological war. The kill numbers are very similar, just with biowar you don't get the "big bangs", the mushroom clouds, the nuclear bombers, the ICBMs, etc. Just sub-microscopic genetically engineered super killer viruses that we have absolutely no defense against, delivered in secret, with a slow horrifying unstoppable migration through the global human population. All the fear of a naturally mutated form of "bird flu" that might kill tens of millions is simply "child's play" compared to multiple designer military viruses that are built to kill in the many hundreds of millions to billions of people globally.

It costs approximately US$1 million to kill one person with nuclear weapons-of-mass destruction but only approximately US$1 to kill one person with biological weapons-of-mass destruction. Bioweapons are truly the "poor man's nukes". The Iranians are known to have a biological weapons program and they, and their allies, certainly have the means to deliver biowar agents into the Israeli and European and North American homelands. Bioweapons do not have to be dispersed via missiles or bombs, they are perfect for non-traditional normally non-military delivery systems. Being very small (there are, for example, typically approximately 40 million bacterial cells in every gram of soil and massively more viruses in the same gram), they lend themselves to an enormous variety of non-detectable methodologies for delivery and use in war, both regionally and globally.

What is being missed here, with all the talk of Iran developing nuclear weapons or not (depending on one's viewpoint), is that Iran is already a state that possesses WMD. HELLO, ANY WAR WITH IRAN IS HIGHLY APT TO INVOLVE LARGE SCALE DEATHS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE IRANIAN WMD THREAT. Hello again, this means that YOU...the person reading this...is apt to die from biowar in event of a war with Iran! We are in a MAD....mutually assured destruction....pre-war state with Iran, just as we are with Russia and and to a lessor extent with China when it comes to nuclear weapons. A famous line from the movie "Wargames" (referring to engaging in nuclear war and the odds of "winning" such a war) is "the only winning move is not to play". Sad to say, this does not seem to have any bearing on the apocalyptic strategy of the neocon push for war with Iran.

The nature of biowar is that it is a "gift that keeps on giving". Once released, advanced recombination DNA based viral bioweapons will continue to spread and kill and kill ....regardless if Iran (and its ally Syria) are but a sea of green radioactive glass devoid of all life. With advanced biowar agents, it is not the quantity that counts but the quality; humans themselves become the vectors and delivery systems of the bioweapons. It does not require large amounts of weapons running into the millions or billions of tons of high explosives; nor does it require ICBMs and cruise missiles and $100 million dollar warplanes to deliver the bioweapons. A very small group of human assets, prepositioned with small amounts of easily hidden biowar weapons (submicroscopic viruses), in the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and America can begin the process that will result in the deaths of hundreds of millions or even billions of human beings. When you get right down to it, does it matter if you die from some exotic bioengineered hemorrhagic fever or from radiation poisoning/nuclear blast .......dead is still dead.

To begin to understand the truly horrific nature of the biowar threat, one only has to look to history for some "mild" examples. The Black Death bubonic pandemic, believed caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is estimated to have killed between a third and two-thirds of Europe's population after it spread to Europe in 1347 from South-western/Central Asia.

Yersinia pestis, being a bacteria is massive when compared to a virus, and is easily treated with modern antibiotics. However, the Soviet Union's Biopreparat organization turned Black Death from a medieval plague into a 20th Century bioweapon. The Yersinia pestis bacteria was exposed to every then-known antibiotic, in a process that any advanced high school or early undergraduate college level biology class student could undertake, and the resulting antibiotic resistant Y. pestis was bred and loaded into a small number of Soviet ICBMs aimed at America. The resistant Y. pestis had also been exposed to various levels of radiation to "radiation harden" the bacteria. The intent was to hit American survivors of a nuclear war with a new and untreatable form of Black Death that itself could survive the effects of nuclear fallout.

As frighting as a totally antibiotic resistant Yersinia pestis bacteria is, it remains "child's play" compared to the more advanced recombination DNA technology used in most biowar programs. This typically involves the recombining of viral DNA into new virus, "designer virus". The Soviets, years ago, engineered a new virus that combined elements of Smallpox and Ebola. With the genetic engineering of viruses those doing the "designing" can engineer into the virus a wide number of different characteristics. For instance, an advanced hemorrhagic fever can be designed to be: airborne (capable of being transmitted via sneezing), with a very small amount of viral material required to infect a human host, with a incubation period of 14 days or longer, with most of the incubation period that is both highly contagious and at best looks like a mild version of the common cold, with the resulting hemorrhagic fever having a mortality of 90% or more.

The same technology can be used to create a large number of different viruses which can all be released on a target population at the same time, vastly complicating detection and containment and treatment programs. In fact the normal research and development process used in genetic engineering results in a large number of different new viruses.

Those nations not directly involved in a strike upon Iran, that is most of the rest of the world, will nevertheless face massive deaths within their nations...they will lose more of their citizens to the war, that we are about to unleash, than they lost in World War II and ALL THE OTHER WARS IN HISTORY COMBINED. Needless to say, this will have a profound effect on their actions towards those nations who have started the mess in the first place. The global military, political, economic, and medical chaos resulting from global biowar will make the use of nuclear weapons a likely outcome as America, the United Kingdom, France and other nations starting the war will be seen as out-of-control "mad dogs" who have unleashed World War III. The Book of Revelations speaks of one-third of the world dying, in the Final Battle, from plague ....biowar; and another one-third of the world dying from "wormwood"....which we now know to be nuclear war effects ...Chernobyl, which comes from the Ukrainian word "chornobyl", translates into wormwood (or its close relative mugwort). (Chernobyl is the site of a massive uncontrolled nuclear meltdown disaster in the Ukraine on the 26th of April 1986).

We are in a period of extreme danger to us all. Even more dangerous than the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 60s. Yet far too many people are so uneducated as to the real dangers from advanced Twenty-first Century biowar that they are totally blind to the profound risk to their own lives.

Stirling

 

[persis]

Three carriers isn't enough, you need at least 4.

assuming that force was sent that is 16 Arliegh Burke class destroyers each with 90 VLS cells. and 8 Ticonderoga class cruisers each with with between 88 and 122 SAMs. If each of the DDG's caries 75 SAM's and the average for the CG's is the low end 88 that is 1200 + 704 SAM's. If the US has to fire 3 per intercept that is 634 anti-ship missiles shot down. I think Iran has enough C-802's and Ra'ad's alone for first and second barrage of missiles that would concentrated on Carriers as they are designed to get through Destroyers defenses ...

 

[basketcase]

Wait, is persis saying that though Iran is developing nukes for peaceful reasons but they are engaged in bioweapons WMD research and stockpiling? That would mean yet another treaty that they signed and have violated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Weapons_Convention.

Maybe persis wants Bush to attack.

 

[persis]

Persis:

Over 60% of Iranians are under 22 years of age.

Iran has the highest drug abuse on the planet.
Recall, they neighbor poppy growing Afghanistan.
Their unemployment rate is incredibly high.
The embargoes have crippled their economy.

Are you really in touch with your country's problems?

Beware. DQ

How about you DQ? Are you in touch?
. . . embargoes on what? A few things that needs to be imported are available in Iran.. at a bit higher price...
So what is it that you think Iran needs so badly which would crippled her economy? Gasoline maybe or do you have something else in mind?

as for the unemployment I explained it in the other tread... I thought it was very clear.. so I won't repeat myself if you don't mind.

 

[assoholic]

..If the US and Israel continues to claim Iran is seeking
nukes there will be an attack.
What type who know's,
now it looks like a possible Naval blockade.

 

[persis]

Wait, is persis saying that though Iran is developing nukes for peaceful reasons but they are engaged in bioweapons WMD research and stockpiling? That would mean yet another treaty that they signed and have violated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_Weapons_Convention.

Maybe persis wants Bush to attack.

Iran has a very advance Bio & chemical technology capability to produce whatever she needs if & when required but does not have bioweapons WMD stockpile-- just as USA . . . because these type of weapons degrade very quickly and stockpiling them is also very dangerous and against the treaty.... Under international laws Iran had the right to use these weapons against Iraq when was attacked by sadam's less advance chemical weapons but was ordered not to do so by Khomaini . . . however this might not be the case in the next war!

 

[james t kirk]

Lets hope they don't shoot down any Civilian Airbuses this time.

 

[Aardvark154]

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.

Or, perhaps the U.S. Government and governments of the other members of the U.N. Security Council are hoping that perhaps the threat of serious economic hardship will finally force the Iranian leadership to remove their heads from their neither regions and start serious negotiations.

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. Stirling

Or perhaps the Georgian Government has a legitimate complaint about a breakaway province in it's country which the Russian Government is aiding and abetting and it has nothing whatsoever to do with larger geopolitical issues.

 

[assoholic]

..it's called the Great Game, and it effects everything.
So more like.
Georgia and Russia have been feuding for hundreds of years.
The US backs Georgia to get at the Russians.
The Russians back the separtists to get at the Georgians.
And so on.

 

[Cheeta]

Persis has no clue what he is talking about. He is one of those Iranians that the rest of Presians are ashamed of.

 

[Cheeta]

I agree with your statement. I believe Persis has crossed the lines too many times with his racist remark toward state of Israel and Jewish people. I will not sit quietly and let someone from Iran who degrades it further.

Iranians should stand united to get rid of this barbaric and terrorist regime not supporting it.

Cheeta

 

[basketcase]

... Treaty or not (treaties are there to protect the interest of big powers. What kind of fairness is this that a rare selected number of countries should have the power to veto the will of majority in an organization who is supposed to represent all the nations on this entire planet (UN).

If they are so opposed to these treaties then why do they sign them?


Besides that, it's not a real argument considering the source that persis posted.

 

[WoodPeckr]

If they are so opposed to these treaties then why do they sign them?

Well it seem all the civilized nations of the world sign these treaties.
Only a few 'rogue' nations seem to be holdouts here......

 

[fuji]

IF US AND ISRAEL HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE WMD SO HAS IRAN.

Why? I actually don't agree with that. I do not think all nations are equal in this respect. There is no automatic principle of equality here. Why should there be? Really, why?

Some nations are more responsible than others and the current Iranian regime has a long track record of irresponsible behavior. They're barely entitled to govern, let alone have dangerous toys.

Israel is a democracy. The US is a democracy. In my view that entitles them to preferential treatment. Of course there are non-democracies that have WMD, such as Russia, China, Pakistan, and North Korea. That's too bad, especially in the cases where it would be possible to do something about it like NK and Pakistan. The fact that we haven't done enough in those cases does not mean we should fail in Iran too.

 

[niceguy]

Why? I actually don't agree with that. I do not think all nations are equal in this respect. There is no automatic principle of equality here. Why should there be? Really, why?

Some nations are more responsible than others and the current Iranian regime has a long track record of irresponsible behavior. They're barely entitled to govern, let alone have dangerous toys.

Israel is a democracy. The US is a democracy. In my view that entitles them to preferential treatment. Of course there are non-democracies that have WMD, such as Russia, China, Pakistan, and North Korea. That's too bad, especially in the cases where it would be possible to do something about it like NK and Pakistan. The fact that we haven't done enough in those cases does not mean we should fail in Iran too.

People of Hiroshima, Nakazaki, and other WMD victims would disagree with the above. While both US and Israel have the long history brutality and war mongering Iran on the other hand has never attacked any countries. Even under current mullah regime so it any regime is to be banned from WMD, it should be US/Isreal, not Iran.