thedrifter
07-11-07, 06:23 AM
US to send aircraft carrier to Middle East
Associated Press
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 (Dubai)
The United States is sending a new aircraft carrier to the Middle East, the US Navy said on Tuesday.
The Navy confirmed the departure of nuclear-powered USS Enterprise from its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, with about 5,500 sailors and marines.
The Enterprise will provide ''power to counter the assertive, disruptive and coercive behavior of some countries, as well as support for our soldiers and marines in Iraq and Afghanistan,'' said Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Kevin J Cosgriff, the commander of the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet.
Cosgriff did not specify which nations he was alluding to, but the carrier's move came amid heightened tensions with Iran, which lies along the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
''The complex operational environment, especially during these challenging times, requires a strong presence in the region,'' Cosgriff said, adding that the Enterprise ''provides us with the right assets at the right time.''
Cosgriff said the Enterprise transports about 70 attack, fighter and detection planes, as well as four helicopters. These will ''contribute to stability'' and ensure the ''free flow of commerce in the region,'' he said.
Iran's hardline Islamic government has repeatedly threatened of disruptions along the world's busiest oil route in the narrow Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula if the US attacked Tehran over its nuclear program.
Muscle-flexing
Officers at the Naval Forces' Central Command in Bahrain declined to say whether the Enterprise and the ships in its strike group would replace either the USS John C Stennis or the USS Nimitz carriers currently patrolling the zone.
The US has maintained two carriers in the region since February to patrol in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean with 15,000 sailors and marines between them.
US officials have said that maintaining two carrier battle groups here and twice holding major exercises in the Gulf was partly muscle-flexing toward Iran.
However, the force could be reduced to one carrier in the coming weeks unless one now here is ordered to stay beyond its planned homecoming, or another is rescheduled to go there early, three US defense officials said on Tuesday.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak on the subject for the record. The US military tries to say as little as possible about ship movements for security reasons.
Ellie
Associated Press
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 (Dubai)
The United States is sending a new aircraft carrier to the Middle East, the US Navy said on Tuesday.
The Navy confirmed the departure of nuclear-powered USS Enterprise from its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, with about 5,500 sailors and marines.
The Enterprise will provide ''power to counter the assertive, disruptive and coercive behavior of some countries, as well as support for our soldiers and marines in Iraq and Afghanistan,'' said Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Kevin J Cosgriff, the commander of the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet.
Cosgriff did not specify which nations he was alluding to, but the carrier's move came amid heightened tensions with Iran, which lies along the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
''The complex operational environment, especially during these challenging times, requires a strong presence in the region,'' Cosgriff said, adding that the Enterprise ''provides us with the right assets at the right time.''
Cosgriff said the Enterprise transports about 70 attack, fighter and detection planes, as well as four helicopters. These will ''contribute to stability'' and ensure the ''free flow of commerce in the region,'' he said.
Iran's hardline Islamic government has repeatedly threatened of disruptions along the world's busiest oil route in the narrow Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula if the US attacked Tehran over its nuclear program.
Muscle-flexing
Officers at the Naval Forces' Central Command in Bahrain declined to say whether the Enterprise and the ships in its strike group would replace either the USS John C Stennis or the USS Nimitz carriers currently patrolling the zone.
The US has maintained two carriers in the region since February to patrol in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean with 15,000 sailors and marines between them.
US officials have said that maintaining two carrier battle groups here and twice holding major exercises in the Gulf was partly muscle-flexing toward Iran.
However, the force could be reduced to one carrier in the coming weeks unless one now here is ordered to stay beyond its planned homecoming, or another is rescheduled to go there early, three US defense officials said on Tuesday.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak on the subject for the record. The US military tries to say as little as possible about ship movements for security reasons.
Ellie