Gunboat diplomacy: America launches Persian Gulf surge

Published time: March 18, 2012 00:44
Edited time: March 18, 2012 05:40
The USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier is seen as it allegedly went "inside the manoeuvre zone" where Iranian ships are conducting 10 days of wargames in the Gulf, accoridng to Iranian officials. (AFP Photo/Fars News)

Washington is planning to deploy even more ships, subs and choppers to the Persian Gulf despite the fact that it already stations aircraft carriers in the region. This was confirmed by Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan W. Greenert.

­Speaking during a Friday breakfast in Washington, Greenert told reporters about the bold plans to deploy more patrol boats, minesweepers, Sea Stallion helicopters and drone subs – all keeping an eye on Iran, which is clearly uncomfortable with being surrounded by the warships of a hostile country.

While Greenert had already announced plans to up the number of minesweepers in the region to eight on Wednesday, his latest statements shine a light on the Navy’s long-term perspective.

First of all, Greenert talked about deploying five more patrol boats equipped with Gatling guns and close-range missiles capable of hitting Iranian shores from four miles away.

It’s like being in an alley with a rifle and maybe what you need is a sawed-off shotgun,” he said, talking about the Gatling guns.

Secondly, the Navy is planning on sending torpedoes that can compensate for the “turbidity” and “particulate” drags of the Gulf waters, as Greenert put it.

Thirdly, Drone minesweeping submarines, or as Greenert called them “some underwater unmanned neutralization autonomous units.

And finally, more aircraft carriers, though this is still to be discussed with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

All these new vessels will arrive equipped the latest infrared and electro-optical visibility systems to help navigate through the foggy Gulf even at night. In the meantime, BAE Systems, one of the Pentagon's military contractors, is working on a new Gatling/laser gun mashup. While Greenert said nothing on equipping the patrol boats in question with these guns, Iran had earlier promised to block the Strait of Hormuz, which is used to transport about a fifth of the world’s oil, in retaliation against sanctions imposed by the US and the EU with the intention of forcing Iran to quit its nuclear program.

In January, General Michael Dempsey, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed that Iran has the capability to block the Strait of Hormuz for a certain period of time, and that the US must be prepared to reopen it by force.

Greenert openly admitted that America’s naval presence in the region is already superior to Iran's. So why deploy so much weaponry and equipment to region? Are Obama and his military advisors already covertly thinking about a military solution to the Iranian crisis? Or is it just the implementation of Dempsey’s call for preparedness?

With the Pentagon asking for an additional $100 million to beef up its military presence in the Persian Gulf, it seems like the US is increasingly leaning towards military action. Although President Obama did insist on using sanctions and diplomacy to force Tehran to quit its controversial nuclear program, he admitted that “no options are off the table.”

Comments (151)

Dandelion13 (unregistered) 14.05.2012 21:50

Sick of Ignorance & Intolerance wrote in #13
I suppose I'm the only one who foresees the potential of yet another Pearl Harbor event/situation. 

No, buddy, seems you just and for example do not read our comments. That to very much people was obvious from the beginning and especially military-analysers are pointing that out period.The great carrier-fleets are overcome for instance by modern satellites and easy to use fire and forget missiles, of which some fly only some feet above the water´s surface. It is like with the great battleships: they ruled in WW2, but afterwards they all in all were just a good place for Cher to make a music-video on or for corals to create a reef.How do you get rid of them and convince all America that vast investments have to be made in inventing a kind of a new stealth-carrier-clas s invisible to rockets and satellites? Besides having a good thing to point out to the media, for why it is necessary now to kill as much Iranians as revenge cries out for?
They put more and more and more troops and vessels into the relatively small one-way gulf, but the Iranians do still not attack, seemingly not willing to be giving aid to the shadow-government in the US, which needs something bigger than 9/11 now.The Carriers are similar to the WTC: old stuff, once really great and so on, but of no great use today, but high in costs of maintenance. Because the world changes. I was told inside the WTC was so much asbest, the necessary deconstruction of it according to health-law-statutes would have cost too much to be in any way affordable to the investors who wanted to build something more adequate at that very place.To me that was no foreseement of yours, but just a realistic observation of the situation and its intentions. 

"Deathpromis e" , Gaian Poetree @ soundcloud


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brian moloney 21.03.2012 09:43

Tomasz wrote in #20
RT is censoring comments on their breaking news article about the earthquake in Mexico! They just removed every comment that criticized them for getting the name of the Mexican President wrong in the initial article, and they keep removing every other comment that mentions this censorship. RT is not free press, we finally have proof!!! Thats RIGHT TOMAZ.. The ONLY NEWS PAPERS in the WORLD that tell the truth is the USA. THEY only tell the TRUTH on CNN FOX NBC HLN ABC CBS  . I also think the PAITRIATE law is good. I also dont like IRAN they have been INVADING FOREIGN countries for the last 100 years. Just look at there BANKING. stealing MONEY from its people. THROWING people out of their homes. Its TRAGIC .. To much croonyisum in their GOVERNMENT.  Why would ANY BODY want to LIVE in IRAN.???  The SHAW of IRAN was bad and so was FAHROOK in Egypt. I WONDER how they ever got in POWER??? . .  

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brian moloney 21.03.2012 09:18

lohse11 wrote in #4
You are wrote in #20
We know you Iranians are sneaking stupid stuff around the world.  Iran we know you were selling Afghan Heroin via Venezuela.  You know that's why the US was there to stop it.

Are you really that stupid or just a shill ? That statement might work in the US with all stupid people believing in CNNABCNBC propaganda but the reality is, that the Taliban wanted to destroy the "stuff" as you call it. It is the US and his hemoroids that are protecting the heroin trade for operations. Heard of Oliver North and what he did on behalf of Uncle Sam ? Read up on it, might catch a glimpse of knowledge. The US is the warmonger on behalf of the Zionist Jew. I say go ahead and bring all your firepower, you might win the war, but you will not be able to go anywhere in the world without fear, plus you bankrupt yourself on the way, but who cares because "United we stand" right ?
Lets SEE the USA is broke, 1 in 4 houses are in FORECLOSURE.. USA PROVES one thing. They have a population of 330 million, the GLOBAL population is close to 7 BILLION.. I dont KNOW why the USA consumes 60% of the WORLDS illicit DRUGS!!!.. Yep life must be PRETTY stressful in the USA.

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