US war drill against Iran in February (THE WAR IS COMING)

khilafah ^ | 11-05-05

[markedmannerf]

The US special forces will conduct a massive war drill near the Gulf of Oman to apparently convey a message to Iran that blocking the sea routes in the event of hostilities won’t be possible.

The US defence department during a classified briefing to the senate armed forces committee said Iran is laying powerful underwater and surface water mines in the Strait of Hormuz but within its own territory.

The Pentagon suspects it is an offensive strategy, and Iran is training its forces to lay mines that could play havoc in a sea war.

To counter this, the US has already urged Russia and China not to sell sea mines to Iran or related advanced technologies which could be used against America and its allies in the region.

The US war drill in the Gulf of Oman could take place around February 2006 and there is a possibility that some Nato members may send their warships and troops to join.

Alongwith the US, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Yemen will participate, while Britain, The Netherlands, Spain and Italy have expressed a desire for such a war drill.

During the drill, the US and its allies will practice their minesweeping skills, and exercise their anti-submarine warfare, long-range maritime reconnaissance, and sea to surface attack capabilities.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

It will be impossible to carry on conventional war against these fanatics, or we will be fighting that way for 1000 years.

The sooner the USA figures out conventional war is a losing proposition, the sooner we can resort to nonconventional warfare and end this.

[cynicom]

A wider war by intent will not come.

[festus]

I dunno. To watch the news from Iraq and Afghanistan thats the only kind of forces we've got over there seeing action.

It makes for more exicting copy for the reporter I guess.

[Luigi Vasellini]

Personally, I think we should tell the Saudis do you want to live or die. All of your oil belongs to us. Then we should kill half of the Saud princes and tell them our oil is now 25 cents a barrel. They are largely responsible for spreading hatred and 9-11!!

[afnamvet]

IMO, we would team with Israel for a covert strike on Syria since the IDF has better intel on Assad and his central command structure. Syria's known role in supporting Hamas and other terrorists groups could bring in other countries willing to join our efforts.

Iran, because of its topography, would be a tough nut to crack. Excellent intel and tactical theater nuke bunker busters would be needed here. No boots on the ground. Air war only.

[bnelson44]

We have many more units than Special Forces seeing action in Iraq. A whole lot more. Check out:

http://billroggio.com/

http://www.militaryoutpost.net/

http://michaelyon.blogspot.com/

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

Agree. Stop this crazy boots on the ground stuff. It costs hundreds of billions of dollars, kills the best of our best, and does not work. Air power only and assassin squads and some Special Forces--no boots on the ground! (Possibly, use tactical nukes if required).

That is another question. I have spent a lifetime working and paying federal taxes to build nukes. Just when are we going to use them? If the answer is they were built to not be used to prevent wars, we ARE AT WAR! I say give serious thought to using nukes. We must end nations harboring and aiding terrorists.

[festus]

Not disputing that. Simply observing that the press calls everything special forces whether it is or isn't.

[bnelson44]

OH, sorry, now I understand.

[lt.america]

You have to have boots on the ground to effect change in the Middle East. Assassinating leaders only allows some more radical crack pots to step up and if you don't have the force in place, you are helpless to stop it.

[middie]

If we have hostilities with either Iran or Syria it will be a clear indication that we have failed diplomatically and in our leadership of the European and Asian industrialized nations. We have already pretty well established that this administration is incompetent in accomplishing anything except perhaps a tax benefit to the wealthiest (hell, I benefit from the tax legislation, but I recognize how wrong-headed it is).

We're talking about spreading hostilities when we are not capable of properly manning the street fighting and occupation operations we're now engaged in. While we keep the back-door draft of the reserves and Guard going at flank speed, is it rhetorical or just plain obvious to observe that, except for airpower & sea control assets, we couldn't mount a maneuver field operation of any meaningful size to depose an offending government and control the ground? And, to exacerbate the stupidity of it all, the Bush tax cuts are attributed to as the underlying cause for the defense budget for the next fiscal cycle being cut by $15 billion (AF Times, current issue). The Rumsfeld DOD is releasing 3rd-year lieutenants and junior O-3s and is reducing the officer corps with the lame rationale' that he's reorganizing the force to better fit the playing field (AF Times). BravoSierra, if you believe that reason, I've got some great Florida swamp land near my home I'd sell you cheap!

So, we've already denuded our active force, reduced the combat and sealift fleet to the status only slightly more than a large coast guard force, destroyed the Army & Air Force Guard and reserve retention and enlistment, assigned civilian contractor cronies what amount to actual, or surely, quasi and likely, combat roles in which we can be assured they'll bug-out at the first whizz of a rifle shot and refused to make the civilian population at home aware that their economic sacrifice is needed. (Excuse the extra long sentence, I know it's poor writing form). Bush has become Johnson and 2005 has retrogressed to 1969.

The ill-advisedness---no, idiocy, of this scenario is beyond mere incompetence.

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

That is conventional thinking, but it is totally unrealistic to believe that we can have boots on the ground in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia . . . what about N. Korea?

I maintain the only way to combat terrorism is through financial warfare against nations that support terrorism and nonconventional warfare against these nations. STOP fighting common thugs. Assassinate the leaders. Use air power to bring the sponsor states to rubble. Forget boots on the ground. Our boys will die for nothing. We can't bring democracy to these nations. They will always be stone age fanatics.

These thugs have been fighting for 1000 years and will do so the same in the future--why should we fight conventionally and drain ourselves like that?

[joseph20]

I agree with you, but for the final question that remains from all of your statements: Then what?

In the wake of the chaos that we sow, allow these nations to develop governments that violate the spirit of the Declaration of Independence? Dictatorships, theocracies, etc...?

Keep bombing them from the air, until they surrender by no choice of their own?

[TheBattman]

The US defence department during a classified briefing to the senate armed forces committee said Iran is laying powerful underwater and surface water mines in the Strait of Hormuz but within its own territory.

IF the briefing was classified, then how does this supposed news source know about it?

[Myrddin]

We have already pretty well established that this administration is incompetent in accomplishing anything except perhaps a tax benefit to the wealthiest (hell, I benefit from the tax legislation, but I recognize how wrong-headed it is).

I like taking home more of my earned income. The tax policies are just fine by me. I don't have a defined benefit retirement program financed by the taxpayers. My retirement is dependent on keeping and investing my earnings. When they are taxed away for socialist programs, my retirement resources are diminished. My father retired at age 47 with 27 1/2 years in the Navy. He never worked another day in his life. I'm 49 now and expect to be working for another 25 years. Someone has to earn real money to cover all those government employee retirement packages.

[middie]

And the end rationale' of your post is..?????

[Myrddin]

You are free to claim that allowing people to keep more of their earned income is "wrong headed", but you have already secured a stable, government funded retirement program via your service in the Air Force. People who don't have that guaranteed retirement income don't think the policy is "wrong headed". Criticizing Bush for giving "tax breaks to the wealthy" is the standard lefty line. The government has no business engaging in taxation for the purpose of wealth redistribution.

[El Gato]

(THE WAR IS COMING)

Negatory good buddy. The War is here, and has been for a good long time.

[endthematrix]

Tell us how you really feel? Did you forget the /sarc tag?

You need to get schooled.

Future war in Iran or Syria won't be because of a US failure of diplomacy. Well if you think appeasement is in W's arsenal. Failed Euro leadership? They have a voice for nuke free tyrants. The crickets were chirping once, now the weenies are seeing the Mullahs at face value.

Incopetentcy how, I must ask? BTW, "tax breaks for the rich" rants are for DU.

"We're talking about spreading hostilities" Who? FR? Puleeze!

BTW, "back-door draft" rants are at DU as well.

"we couldn't mount a maneuver field operation of any meaningful size to depose an offending government and control the ground?"

Iraq and Afghanistan do apply. (sorry to disappoint)

"civilian contractor cronies "

Oopsie, you meant mercenaries...

----------------

You've been brewing since '98? You're well done, FRiend!

[Zrob]

'IF the briefing was classified, then how does this supposed news source know about it?'

ABSOLUTELY! You are right - this article is from an ISLAMIC oriented website, no friend of the US. and its source is an Indian or Pakistan based website, and with NO attribution other than a "classified" briefing, it could be just a way to fire up the anti-american sentiment among ISLAMOFACISTS. I am not believing this one second (as much as i'd like to).