US Strike Group Simulates War With Iran Off Florida Coast?

Russia Today ^ | February 6, 2012

[Strategy]

The American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and its strike group are taking naval drills along the country's east coast ahead of their deployment to the Persian Gulf. Reports suggest the drill map shows a country resembling Iran.

The battleships are practicing cruise maneuvers through contested straits, preparing them for any possible conflict with Iran as they pass through the Strait of Hormuz, says the American newspaper The Navy Times.

The drill map depicts a 56 km (35 miles) wide strait located some 320 km (200 miles) from the coast. The mock strait's shape and width is identical to the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea.

[Wu]

Battleships?

[Robe]

To the Press/MSM, if it’s gray and has a gun on it it’s a BATTLESHIP !

[GonzoGOP]

I can only hope this was translated (badly) from another language. Battleships and cruising maneuvers? The first hasn't been around for 20 years. The latter doesn't make sense.

[Mich Patriot]

Pentagon stating these are “routine training exercises” in 3...2...1

[SampleMan]

To the Press/MSM, if it’s gray and has a gun on it it’s a BATTLESHIP !

Actually, it doesn't even need a gun.

Other MSM military definitions:
Tracks and/or gun on vehicle = tank
Military aircraft= fighter plane
Military= army
Person in military= soldier
Shots fired= firefight
Enlisted and officer are interchangeable terms.
Tactical and strategic are interchangeable terms.
Cartridges and bullets mean the same thing.

[ryan71]

It is “routine” for the US Navy to train to fight the most likely and formidable threat. It’s done every time you go to sea, either on a large scale or small scale, 24/7.

[Mich Patriot]

That makes perfect sense of course, just thinking there may be a statement issued to talk the nervous types down from the ledge.

[Strategerist]

You forgot:

casualties = dead

[corkoman]

If they are indeed training down here then it must be monsoon season in the Persian gulf. Its been raining here for over a week and nothing but rain in the forseeable future. DREARY but I suppose it beats freezing rain.

And this is our dry season - paging Al Gore.

[Mariner]

CVN 65 is about 30 days away from the Gulf.

However, once she arrives there's be 3 CVN Battle Groups. That's a formidable force by itself.

Add some tactical aircraft from the USAF in theater and you have the makings of a substantial strike and follow-on operations.

What BOTHERS me is that I suspect these forces are being positioned to DISSUADE Israel from acting.

But it's far more likely they'll be used to try to keep the lid on things once the strike occurs.

[maine yankee]

It appears we are sending our oldest carrier to the front line of the current hostilities.

Is the pentagon really willing to accept that many lives to start the next war ?

[houeto]

You forgot: casualties = dead

...and clips = magazines

[Vroomfondel]

one would certainly hope so ping

[JoeFromSidney]

I've been reading a biography of Kemal Ataturk. One section deals with how the Turks kept the British fleet out of the Dardanelles. Mines in the narrow strait, with artillery on both sides to sink minesweepers. Some of the artillery consisted of howitzers (indirect fire) protected by hills from counter-battery fire by the British. The British did lose several minesweepers at night, because the Turks used searchlights to illuminate them. The British and the French did lose several major ships before they recognized the need for clearing the mines.

The British concluded they'd lose most of their ships if they tried simply running them through. Their alternative was an invasion to seize the forts guarding the straits. That led to the disaster at Gallipoli.

I hope someone in the Navy is reading up on that series of battles. I'm sure someone in Iran has studied them. The Straits of Hormuz may present problems similar to the Dardanelles.

Incidentally, I toured the Gallipoli battlefield a few years back. Seeing the beaches from the heights, it was incredible to me that the British got any troops ashore at all, and once they were ashore, I had no trouble understanding why they couldn't get off the beaches.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Bold Alligator 2012

Bold Alligator 2012 to Revitalize Amphibious Operations

Story Number: NNS120125-28 Release Date: 1/25/2012 9:58:00 PM

From U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- Commander, United States Fleet Forces (USFF) and Commander, Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) will lead the East Coast's largest joint and multinational amphibious assault exercise in the past ten years officials announced Jan. 25.

Exercise Bold Alligator 2012 (BA12) will revitalize Navy and Marine Corps amphibious expeditionary tactics, techniques and procedures, and reinvigorate its culture of conducting combined Navy and Marine Corps operations from the sea.

BA12 will be a live and synthetic, scenario-driven, simulation-supported exercise designed to train Expeditionary Strike Group 2 (ESG 2), 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2d MEB) and Carrier Strike Group 12. Staffs will plan and execute a MEB-sized amphibious assault from a seabase in a medium land-and-maritime threat environment to improve naval amphibious core competencies.

The exercise will run Jan. 30 through Feb. 12, ashore and afloat, in and off the coasts of Virginia, North Carolina and Florida

"Amphibious forces are a critical element of maritime power projection that ought to be a high priority for support, even in a resource constrained environment, because they are a cost effective option for accomplishing a wide range of military operations," said Adm. John C. Harvey, commander, USFF.

The units involved include the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG), Expeditionary Strike Group 2 (ESG-2), 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) as well as various other ships and units.

Nine countries are participating in exercise BA12, providing maritime, land and air units or observers. The countries participating with the U.S. forces are Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.

One of the exercise's priorities is to incorporate lessons learned over the past 10 years of challenging combat operations, overseas contingency operations, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR), noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO) and homeland defense.

The exercise will focus on the fundamental aspects and roles of amphibious operations to improve amphibious force readiness and proficiency for executing the six core capabilities of the Maritime Strategy - forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security and humanitarian assistance/disaster response.

"In today's world, the Navy-Marine Corps team must remain capable of gaining access to an operational area, and projecting and sustaining a sizable landing force ashore," said Lt. General Dennis Hejlik, Commander, MARFORCOM. "We have the legislated responsibilities to be able to conduct these operations, and we certainly must be ready to do so beyond the ARG-MEU level where we routinely operate today."

The culmination of Bold Alligator 2012 will include three large-scale events within the exercise: an amphibious assault at Camp Lejeune, N.C.; an aerial assault from the sea into Fort Pickett, Va.; and an amphibious raid on Fort Story, Va.

Embedded within their participation in BA12 is the Enterprise CSG's Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX); the Iwo Jima (ARG) and 24th MEU certification exercise (CERTEX); and Riverine Group 1 (RIVGRU 1) Maritime Security Operations Ready (MSO-R) certification by Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC).

For more history and information on Bold Alligator 2012, see Harvey's blog at http://www.usfleetforces.blogspot.com/.

120204-N-ZZ999-007 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Feb. 4, 2012) The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78) and USS Cole (DDG 67) are underway participating in exercise Bold Alligator 2012. Bold Alligator is the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years and represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. The exercise will take place Jan. 30 through Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. #BA12 (U.S. Navy photo by Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Alfredo R. Martinez II/Released)

[magslinger]

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[itsahoot]

Is the pentagon really willing to accept that many lives to start the next war ?

You need to start thinking like real globalists do.

There are 7 billion people on this earth, who needs that many?

[itsahoot]

Mines in the narrow strait, with artillery on both sides to sink minesweepers.

The Bridges of Toko Ri, would no longer be the example to follow. Smart bombs and satellite imagery really make a difference.

[rmlew]

LEt’s give our press some credit. This is Sovie.. er KGB Russian Propaganda.