Showdown Looms in Persian Gulf as US Sends 2nd Aircraft Carrier

Arutz Sheva - IsraelNationalNews ^ | 1/16/7 | Gil Zohar

[SmithL]

Is the United States gearing up for an attack on Iran?

The deployment of a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf has analysts speculating that President Bush means to stop Tehran's nuclear ambitions by force if necessary.

The USS John C. Stennis was scheduled to sail Tuesday from its homeport of
Bremerton, Washington. When the second carrrier arrives in the Middle East next month, this will be the first time since the U.S.-led Iraq invasion in 2003 that the United States will have two carrier battle groups in the region, according to a U.S. Navy official.

The increase in U.S. forces is a show of strength by Washington in the face of Iran's growing regional assertiveness and a perception among U.S. adversaries that the United States is vulnerable in Iraq, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.

The Stennis is a Nimitz-class carrier, with approximately 3,200 sailors. It will stop off in San Diego to pick an air wing of more than 80 planes, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers.

After a monthlong voyage across the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Stennis will join the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which is already tasked to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in the Gulf sheikhdom of Bahrain, said Cmdr. Kevin Aandahl of the Fifth Fleet.

Once in Middle East waters, the second aircraft carrier will significantly boost U.S. air power in the region and serve as a reminder of U.S. firepower to Iran.

"This demonstrates our resolve to do what we can to bring security and stability to the region," Aandahl said. "That's obviously to dissuade others from acting counter to our national interest."

Washington will maintain two carriers in the Middle East "as long as the
situation demands it," Aandahl said. A typical carrier deployment lasts six months.

In a related matter, the U.S. recently deployed a Patriot air defense missile battalion in the Middle East.

As well, at least 16 US F-16 fighter aircraft arrived January 12 in Turkey's strategic Incirlink air base for the first time in three years. According to local Cihan News Agency, the F-16s were accompanied by an early warning system AWACS airplane and tanker airplanes from an American base in Germany. An official at the US embassy in Ankara said the planes had arrived for joint exercises with the Turkish military.

On Thursday, US forces in Iraq detained five suspected members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards operating out of the northern Iraq town of Irbil in Kurdistan.

[Ieatfrijoles]

Teach peace.

[taxed2death]

Can't we get the cows to fart more? The greenies say that's half the problem. Let's make like Kramer and feed 'em "Beeferino"............

[defenderSD]

Yeah, this is all part of the negotiations at this point. We're making a statement, along with the Israeli leak of their nuclear attack plans, that we're not going to accept Iran with nuclear weapons. There will only be shooting in the next six months if Iran starts it. We could see an attack on Iran in the second half of this year if diplomatic negotiations do not succeed.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

There you go.

[3AngelaD]

Better now than after they get their nukes together.

[Constitutions Grandchild]

"W knows he is running out of time to act and so he will."

Might as well, he's screwed either way, and who knows, maybe we'll get lucky.

[defenderSD]

Israeli jets won't fly off our carriers. They're not equipped for that and the pilots haven't been trained in carrier landings. But we could assist Israeli air operations by refueling their jets in mid-air.

[Red Badger]

Yeah, I had to scrape global warming off my windshield 3 times last week! And I live in Florida!.,.........

[jrooney]

I am sure that will work with the terrorists, up to the point where their dull blade saws off your head as you scream in agony.

[Red Badger]

Israeli jets won't fly off our carriers.

How about Israeli marked US jets piloted by Israelis?..........

[defenderSD]

Florida huh...you must be a transplanted Wisconsinite.

[SevenofNine]

Maybe we may attack or play back up to certain country start I you know who Israel

[Ben Mugged]

With the Bush administration's decision to dispatch a second aircraft carrier group to the waters off the Iranian coast

From http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00092.htm.

Looks like the entire carrier group is off the coast.

[Tolsti]

I doubt they can train to land and take off on a carrier that fast. So only if there's some program in place that keeps them trained.

[defenderSD]

Not likely...it takes a lot of training to learn carrier landings and it's very unsafe to have any pilots landing on a carrier who aren't fully trained and confident in landings.

[Red Badger]

Nope! Southern born and bred........Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida...............

[Red Badger]

Who said anything about landing?........

[Gritty]

[Red Badger]

They don't have to land on the carriers........

[Ieatfrijoles]

But it'll go a long way in proving that I'm a better man than they are.