http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/03/27/africa/ME-GEN-Gulf-US-Maneuvers.php
Associated Press
March 27, 2007
U.S. launches huge show of force in Persian Gulf
ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS IN THE GULF - The U.S.
Navy on Tuesday began its largest demonstration of
force in the Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq,
deploying two aircraft carriers and conducting
simulated aerial attacks.
The maneuvers, involving 15 U.S. warships and more
than a hundred planes, were certain to increase
tension with Iran, which has frequently condemned the
U.S. military presence off its coastline.
The exercises began only four days after Iran captured
15 British sailors and marines whom it accused of
straying into Iranian waters near the Gulf. Britain
and the U.S. Navy have insisted the British sailors
were operating in Iraqi waters.
Aboard the carrier USS John C. Stennis, F/A-18 fighter
jets rocketed off the deck in one of a dozen
rapid-fire training sorties against enemy shipping and
aircraft.
"These maneuvers demonstrate our flexibility and
capability to respond to threats to maritime security
[sic]," said U.S. Navy Lt. John Perkins, 32, of
Louisville, Kentucky, as the Stennis cruised about 80
miles off the United Arab Emirates.
"They're showing we can keep the maritime environment
safe and the vital link to the global economy open."
....
A French naval strike group, led by the aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle, was operating
simultaneously just outside the Gulf. But the French
ships were supporting the NATO forces in Afghanistan
and not taking part in the U.S. maneuvers, Aandahl
said.
Overall, the exercises involve more than 10,000 U.S.
personnel on warships and aircraft making simulated
attacks on enemy aircraft and shipping, hunting enemy
submarines and finding mines.
....
The U.S. drills were the latest in a series of
American and Iranian war games. Iran conducted naval
maneuvers in November and April, while in October the
U.S. Navy led a Gulf training exercise aimed at
blocking nuclear smuggling.
In January, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said
the Stennis strike group was being sent to the Mideast
as a warning to Iran that it should not misjudge
America's resolve in the region.
Iran has grown increasingly assertive in the Gulf as
the U.S. military has become bogged down in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Iranian officials have publicly called on
America's Gulf Arab allies to shut down U.S. military
bases and join Iran in a regional security alliance.
Gulf Arab leaders have grown increasingly uneasy with
the aggressive U.S. stance toward Iran, believing it
could provoke an unwanted war that could bring attacks
on their own soil. But none has shown interest in an
alliance with Iran.
....
The USS Stennis strike group, with more than 6,500
sailors and marines, entered the Gulf late Monday or
early Tuesday along with the guided-missile cruiser
USS Antietam, the Navy said.
The Stennis, which had been supporting the Afghan war,
joined the strike group led by the carrier USS Dwight
D. Eisenhower, the first time two U.S. aircraft
carriers have operated in the Gulf since the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq in 2003, Aandahl said. The Eisenhower
was operating off the coast of Somalia in January and
February.
Each carrier hosts an air wing of F/A-18 Hornet and
Superhornet fighter-bombers, EA-6B Prowler electronic
warfare aircraft, S-3 Viking anti-submarine and
refuelers, and E-2C Hawkeye airborne
command-and-control craft.
Also taking part were guided-missile destroyers USS
Anzio, USS Ramage, USS O'Kane, USS Mason, USS Preble
and USS Nitze; and minesweepers USS Scout, USS
Gladiator and USS Ardent.
===========================
Stop NATO
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato
To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
stopnato-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
==============================
Associated Press
March 27, 2007
U.S. launches huge show of force in Persian Gulf
ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS IN THE GULF - The U.S.
Navy on Tuesday began its largest demonstration of
force in the Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq,
deploying two aircraft carriers and conducting
simulated aerial attacks.
The maneuvers, involving 15 U.S. warships and more
than a hundred planes, were certain to increase
tension with Iran, which has frequently condemned the
U.S. military presence off its coastline.
The exercises began only four days after Iran captured
15 British sailors and marines whom it accused of
straying into Iranian waters near the Gulf. Britain
and the U.S. Navy have insisted the British sailors
were operating in Iraqi waters.
Aboard the carrier USS John C. Stennis, F/A-18 fighter
jets rocketed off the deck in one of a dozen
rapid-fire training sorties against enemy shipping and
aircraft.
"These maneuvers demonstrate our flexibility and
capability to respond to threats to maritime security
[sic]," said U.S. Navy Lt. John Perkins, 32, of
Louisville, Kentucky, as the Stennis cruised about 80
miles off the United Arab Emirates.
"They're showing we can keep the maritime environment
safe and the vital link to the global economy open."
....
A French naval strike group, led by the aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle, was operating
simultaneously just outside the Gulf. But the French
ships were supporting the NATO forces in Afghanistan
and not taking part in the U.S. maneuvers, Aandahl
said.
Overall, the exercises involve more than 10,000 U.S.
personnel on warships and aircraft making simulated
attacks on enemy aircraft and shipping, hunting enemy
submarines and finding mines.
....
The U.S. drills were the latest in a series of
American and Iranian war games. Iran conducted naval
maneuvers in November and April, while in October the
U.S. Navy led a Gulf training exercise aimed at
blocking nuclear smuggling.
In January, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said
the Stennis strike group was being sent to the Mideast
as a warning to Iran that it should not misjudge
America's resolve in the region.
Iran has grown increasingly assertive in the Gulf as
the U.S. military has become bogged down in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Iranian officials have publicly called on
America's Gulf Arab allies to shut down U.S. military
bases and join Iran in a regional security alliance.
Gulf Arab leaders have grown increasingly uneasy with
the aggressive U.S. stance toward Iran, believing it
could provoke an unwanted war that could bring attacks
on their own soil. But none has shown interest in an
alliance with Iran.
....
The USS Stennis strike group, with more than 6,500
sailors and marines, entered the Gulf late Monday or
early Tuesday along with the guided-missile cruiser
USS Antietam, the Navy said.
The Stennis, which had been supporting the Afghan war,
joined the strike group led by the carrier USS Dwight
D. Eisenhower, the first time two U.S. aircraft
carriers have operated in the Gulf since the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq in 2003, Aandahl said. The Eisenhower
was operating off the coast of Somalia in January and
February.
Each carrier hosts an air wing of F/A-18 Hornet and
Superhornet fighter-bombers, EA-6B Prowler electronic
warfare aircraft, S-3 Viking anti-submarine and
refuelers, and E-2C Hawkeye airborne
command-and-
Also taking part were guided-missile destroyers USS
Anzio, USS Ramage, USS O'Kane, USS Mason, USS Preble
and USS Nitze; and minesweepers USS Scout, USS
Gladiator and USS Ardent.
============
Stop NATO
http://groups.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to:
stopnato-subscribe@
============
No comments:
Post a Comment