INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - LOOKING GLASS NEWS | |
MAJOR ARMADA PREPARES FOR IRAN BLOCKADE |
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from Europe Business Blogspot
Entered into the database on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 @ 10:03:53 MST |
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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 Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group Carrier Strike Group Two USS Springfield (SSN761) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine IWO ESG ~ Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group USS Hartfore (SSN768) nuclear powered hunter-killer submarine Carrier Strike Group Seven 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 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. ADDITIONAL UPDATE
~ Georgia calls for US help; Russian Air Force bombs Georgian air bases. DEBKA,
the Israeli strategy and military site, states that Israeli military officers
are advising the Georgian armed forces in combat operations and that 1,000 Israelis
are in-combat on the side of Georgia at this time. 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. |