Wizdom
02-12-07, 18:12
DEBKAfile Reports: US Gulf armada built up again amid preparations for third round of Security Council sanctions against Iran
December 2, 2007, 6:34 PM (GMT+02:00)
ScanEagle drone - a noiseless spycraft aboard the Truman strike group
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a third aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman , arrived in the Central Command area over the weekend to join the USS Enterprise and USS Nimitz . All three head mighty strike groups of assorted warships, aircraft, marine forces, amphibious craft and nuclear submarines. Our sources interpret the new build-up as signifying US preparedness for a possible military confrontation with Iran.
The Truman strike group under the command of Rear Adm. Bill Gortney is equipped with the most advanced electronics in the fleet for coordinating offensive and defensive operations in a major war.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that, last week, on its way to the Gulf arena, an element of the Truman group, the guided missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin , ran tests on the ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle. This UAV’s primary mission is to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for the Truman group.
It is the first time a UAV has been employed in this way by a US multi-mission naval group and, should hostilities break out with Iran, this drone would make war history. ScanEagle flies up to 10,000 feet, clicking electro-optical or infrared cameras 20 hours of the day and night. It is completely noiseless.
Another key element of the Truman group is the huge floating supply depot USNS Artic . While keeping up with the speed of the carrier group, the Artic can take on from shuttle ships and redistribute to the rest of the group more than 177,000 barrels of oil, 2,150 tons of ammunition, and hundreds of tons of stores. The ten-vessel Truman group also includes a British destroyer, the HMS Manchester .
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that in response to the focus the Iranian navy is now placing on submarine warfare, the USS Enterprise group carried out a comprehensive anti-sub exercise in the northern Arabian Sea in mid-November. While the Enterprise operates mainly in the Afghanistan war arena, it can reach the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman within hours if called.
The Security Council is expected to approve before the end of the year harsh sanctions against Iran for flouting its resolutions on uranium enrichment and its clandestine military nuclear program. The US-led force massed close to Iran’s shores is poised to support these sanctions as well as react in the event of Tehran lashing out in the Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon or other fronts manned by its terrorist proxies.
December 2, 2007, 6:34 PM (GMT+02:00)
ScanEagle drone - a noiseless spycraft aboard the Truman strike group
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a third aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman , arrived in the Central Command area over the weekend to join the USS Enterprise and USS Nimitz . All three head mighty strike groups of assorted warships, aircraft, marine forces, amphibious craft and nuclear submarines. Our sources interpret the new build-up as signifying US preparedness for a possible military confrontation with Iran.
The Truman strike group under the command of Rear Adm. Bill Gortney is equipped with the most advanced electronics in the fleet for coordinating offensive and defensive operations in a major war.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that, last week, on its way to the Gulf arena, an element of the Truman group, the guided missile destroyer USS Oscar Austin , ran tests on the ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle. This UAV’s primary mission is to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support for the Truman group.
It is the first time a UAV has been employed in this way by a US multi-mission naval group and, should hostilities break out with Iran, this drone would make war history. ScanEagle flies up to 10,000 feet, clicking electro-optical or infrared cameras 20 hours of the day and night. It is completely noiseless.
Another key element of the Truman group is the huge floating supply depot USNS Artic . While keeping up with the speed of the carrier group, the Artic can take on from shuttle ships and redistribute to the rest of the group more than 177,000 barrels of oil, 2,150 tons of ammunition, and hundreds of tons of stores. The ten-vessel Truman group also includes a British destroyer, the HMS Manchester .
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that in response to the focus the Iranian navy is now placing on submarine warfare, the USS Enterprise group carried out a comprehensive anti-sub exercise in the northern Arabian Sea in mid-November. While the Enterprise operates mainly in the Afghanistan war arena, it can reach the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman within hours if called.
The Security Council is expected to approve before the end of the year harsh sanctions against Iran for flouting its resolutions on uranium enrichment and its clandestine military nuclear program. The US-led force massed close to Iran’s shores is poised to support these sanctions as well as react in the event of Tehran lashing out in the Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon or other fronts manned by its terrorist proxies.