Deployment of second carrier to Gulf a 'reminder': Gates

AFP ^ | 4-29-08

[STARWISE]

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said Tuesday the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf should be seen as a "reminder" of US military power in the region.

But Gates flatly denied that the United States was preparing the ground for military strikes against Iran.

"I don't think we'll have two carriers for a protracted period of time. So I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder," Gates told reporters here during a visit with Mexican officials.

The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf follows a noticeable hardening in US rhetoric against Iran for meddling in Iraq and playing a destabilizing role in the region.

Commander Jeff Davis, a US Navy spokesman, said the Lincoln would overlap with the departing carrier USS Harry Truman by "no more than a day or two." He said it was a "routine regular replacement."

CBS News reported that the Pentagon has ordered new options be drawn up for attacking Iran and that the State Department has begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell Iran to stop meddling or else.

But when asked here whether the Pentagon was preparing for military strikes against Iran, Gates said flatly, "No."

The stepped-up US rhetoric against Iran has come against the backdrop of an intensifying violence in Iraq as US forces clash with Shiite militia "special groups" that the US military say are backed by Iran.

[STARWISE]

[STARWISE]

~~PING!

[familyop]

“Don’t worry, they’ll row for a month before they figure out I’m fakin’ it.” —the “Deacon” character in the movie, “Waterworld.”

[STARWISE]

God bless and protect all our awesome military.

[familyop]

What I was referring to...

"But when asked here whether the Pentagon was preparing for military strikes against Iran, Gates said flatly, 'No.'"

[STARWISE]

[Kathy in Alaska]

God bless and protect them all.

[STARWISE]

;)

[Lost Dutchman]

I love being a citizen of a country that can project a force strong enough to totally eliminate a belligerent government as a “reminder”.

[exit82]

One is a lonely number.

Two is a reminder.

Three means the balloon is up.

[SoCalPol]

Just watching the series on PBS “Carrier”
about of The local San Diego based carriers, Nimitz
in the Gulf and the Air Wing and ther activities.

The Reagan here has been active also in the war.

[STARWISE]

I did, too. Love that series .. quite well done.

[SoCalPol]

I can walk 1 1/4 miles up the street and look out
at the USS Nimitz and USS Reagan here

[STARWISE]

Video ~~ USS Abraham Lincoln departs - March 17, 2008

Video ~~ USS Abraham Lincoln operations (awesome!)

[Solitar]

I can walk 1 1/4 miles up the street and look out at the USS Nimitz and USS Reagan here

Those two need to be over there, not here. We could use three carrier groups in that region -- and one full group in the eastern Mediterranean -- as a 'reminder' to Syria.

[STARWISE]

Must be so stirring. To see what these
young kids do is truly humbling.

[SunkenCiv]

That’s a nice one, I like it. When we send Ahmedeadman to Hell via whatever’s handy, we can say the same thing — “it was just a reminder”. ;’)

[STARWISE]

Amen.

[fredhead]

[SE Mom]

Gates has a dry sense of humor, doesn’t he? :)

...”a reminder”...