Posted on 10/14/2019 6:46:47 AM PDT by robowombat
Pentagon Hasn’t Extended Carrier Lincoln Deployment as More Troops Headed to Saudi Arabia
By: Megan Eckstein and Sam LaGrone October 11, 2019 1:25 PM
THE PENTAGON – Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has not extended the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group even in the midst of what the Pentagon described as a buildup of forces in Saudi Arabia to defend U.S. forces and interests against Iranian aggression, a Defense Department spokesman told USNI News.
Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley briefed reporters Friday and noted that 3,000 forces have been authorized or extended for operations in the Middle East in the last month and that 14,000 have been added since May.
Responding to a request from head of U.S. forces in the Middle East Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, Esper authorized to deploy:
Two Fighter Squadrons One Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) Two Patriot Batteries One Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) The missile defense units in today’s announcement had already been put late last month in “prepare to deploy” status, in what has been an incremental buildup of U.S. assets in U.S. Central Command since the spring.
Among the forces in the CENTCOM area of operations in the Lincoln CSG, which deployed from Norfolk, Va., on April 1 and was rushed to CENTCOM waters in May to respond to what then-National Security Advisor John Bolton referred to as a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.”
The Lincoln CSG is butting up against the end of its planned deployment, at the end of which it is supposed to continue through the Middle East, into the Pacific and then on to its new homeport of San Diego. If it were to do this within the notional seven-month deployment window, it would be leaving the Middle East any time now.
Esper dodged a question about the CSG’s plans, saying “I’m not going to speak about operational deployments, particularly with regard to assets such as carriers. We are at the early stages of a new concept of employment called dynamic force employment, which would allow us to move systems, like carriers… around the world to allow us operational unpredictability. I think that’s critical so that we keep adversaries off balance.”
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Brook DeWalt told USNI News after the briefing that Esper had not signed a memo extending the Lincoln CSG’s deployment, which typically happens when the Pentagon asks a carrier to stay on deployment longer than seven months. It is unclear if Esper will eventually sign this memo or if the strike group will leave the Middle East and create a gap in carrier presence.
Since May, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and its strike group have been largely operating in a small geographical region off the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman and the North Arabian Sea with occasional stops in Duqm, Oman.
Its likely replacement, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), is currently pierside undergoing repairs for extensive electrical problems that are likely to extend at least into November.
The buildup of forces in CENTCOM began with intelligence reports that Iran was planning aggressive moves, and has grown as Iran harassed a U.S. warship with a drone, attacked commercial shipping and most recently blew up a Saudi oil facility.
Despite Iranian denials, Esper told reporters today, “the evidence recovered so far proves that Tehran is responsible for these attacks. Iran’s continued malign behavior is part of its larger campaign to destabilize the Middle East and disrupt the global economy. Iran’s attempts to use terror, intimidation and military force to advance its interests are inconsistent with international norms.
“Today I spoke with the Saudi minister of defense to discuss the status of Saudi Arabia’s defensive capabilities and our ongoing efforts to protect our partners from further Iranian aggression. Saudi Arabia is a longstanding security partner in the Middle East and has asked for addition support to supplement their own defenses and defend the international rules-based order. In response to continued threats in the region, I have ordered the deployment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of two additional fighter squadrons and supporting personnel, along with additional Patriot and THAAD air and missile defense batteries,” he continued. “Taken together with other deployments I have extended or authorized in the last month, this involves about 3,000 United States forces. In fact, in response to Iranian provocations since May, the U.S. has deployed an array of additional capabilities to the region, including airborne early warning aircraft squadrons, maritime patrol aircraft squadrons, Patriot air and missile defense batteries, B-52 bombers, a carrier strike group, amphibious transport dock, unmanned aircraft and engineering and support personnel.”
“This deployment of additional forces to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is for the purpose of defense of our interests and assets in the region,” Miley told reporters. “Also to reestablish deterrence with respect to Iran in the wake of an attack on Saudi Arabia.”
Milley punctuated the seriousness with which the U.S. sends these forces to deter Iran: “Do not mistake our restraint for weakness,” he warned.
Sending American soldiers into globalist entanglements does not enhance the security of the United States. Its a bad mistake that weakens America.
With their OPEC-priced oil revenue, you’d think the Saudis would be able to defend themselves by now. If we’re going to police this, we need to have them pay for it or lower the price of our imported oil.
you’d think the Saudis would be able to defend themselves by now
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The Saudi’s “pay us back” by buying military hardware that they don’t use. They have no intention of using it when they know they can push us to do it for them.
Initially all these entanglements seem to have some noble purpose. American involvement just delays and prevents the locals from reaching their own consensus. BTW in case you hadn’t noticed oil producers are desperate and will remain desperate to sell their oil to anyone with hard currency or they starve.
Deployed, brave Americans die far from home and make the ultimate sacrifice for no good purpose. Sadly they are forgotten by most. Who remembers the dead from the USS Liberty, the USS Cole or the dead in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Just saw this on Twitter:
BREAKING: Iranian President Rouhani states that a government, not a terror group is behind the attack on the oil tanker ‘Sabini’.
The Iranian “government” no doubt.
America should not be there. If some junior, demented Iranian “revolutionary guard” officer, decides to attack an American ship and causes death shooting will start and another needless war would ensue. No doubt Israel will use the opportunity to take out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, kill their scientists and nuclear personnel and inflict huge casualties on their “revolutionary guards. The Israelis with stealth fighters, drones and on the ground Mossad have the capability and national interest to do so. What real national interest does the US have defending the well equipped but inept 9/11 corrupt Saudis?. There should be no more American deaths or sacrifice in this quagmire. Let that sun baked locals achieve their own consensus.
A annoying as it is to many for the US as acting as protector of wealthy Arab oil states the reverse is worse. No US or great power to exert some control over the sheiks leads to general chaos in a vital part of the world. That is pretty much why Great Britain acted as the Gulf hegemon. It grew out of the armed chaos in the Gulf which was generating piratical depredations on shipping in Indian waters. It took a century but that was the basis for that expensive and tiresome activity. Today with the oil sheikdoms the situation is somewhat analogous.
Those who loudly protest this situation should consider they are 75 years late. The meeting of FDR and the King of SA in 1944 started the relationship.
Any disruptions of the Gulf oil supply (primarily to Europe and China) would be temporary and would not be catastrophic. However American deaths would be tragic and could never be recovered. Also every time an American bomb is dropped or American soldiers fire their guns, more and more implacable, needless enemies are created who with their nihilistic mentality will sacrifice themselves to do harm to America. These entanglements are weakening America in many ways.
>>>If we’re going to police this, we need to have them pay for it or lower the price of our imported oil.
They Presient said that the Saudis are paying for this, but did our troops sign up to be mercenaries serving the interests of the highest bidder?
Erik Prince wants PMC’s to do it. No surprise.
I don't care how the buffoons in Congress write laws so their graft, bribes and disgusting behavior is technicially ‘legal’... NO ONE will ever convince me that a 40 minute ‘speech’ by Hillary Cinotn is ever worth $12,500 A MINUTE. That's more than Biden's loser son gets for doing NOTHING... And Hillary wasn't the only one giving speeches...
Ditto for the 'official' scum that floats around war zones feeding off the misery for personal gain.
Bring our boys home.
No more trading away citizenship to third world snitches...
No more paid speeches on foreign soil when the speaker can give benefit to the people buying 'speeches'.
No more taking 'legal' bribes. No more protecting other countries when we can't protect our own borders.
Cut the State Department in half, same with the Pentagon. Defend OUR country and get out of the bad 'alliances' that are even worse than the rip-off trade deals that have damaged our country.
Your isolationist claptrap is absent validity when American intereses, security interets are at stake
The root of your isolationism is basic geopolitical ignorance. There are bad guys out there that hate us and we must keep our allies to assure our own safety and well being
If ‘the bad guys’ attack us I have no problem throwing everything we’ve got at them. Blood, weapons, effort..whatever. We were attacked on 9/11 by the “out group” of the House of Saud. WE DID NOT GO AFTER THEM... BUSH HAD US GO AFTER IRAQ BASED ON A WMD LIE. What does that say? It says ‘enough crap’ to me. Enough.
Our ‘alliances’ are as stupid and poorly done as our ‘trade deals’ ... A handbook on how to ‘take the stupid Americans’... Enough ‘legal’ bribery happening in exchange for ‘good deals’ for everyone but us. There are a thousand ‘Hunter Biden’s’...
Our country’s being ripped off so people like the Clinton’s and other DC ‘elites’ can crisscross the globe selling access, speeches, lives, rotten trade deals, blood and horrible ‘alliances’ for the personal benefit of elites...
You doubt me?
Tell me what we’ve gotten for our country other than debt and misery for our effort// You think third world hellholes will ‘respect us’? OMG you gotta be kidding me. They’ll betray us before the last of our people are out of the ME.
We’ve been over there longer than World War I and World War II combined. Longer than the cold war. Over a trillion dollars spent and what have we accomplished? Nothing.
The globalists, who hate America, are at the core of the effort to destroy Trump. Trump’s nationalism and America first instincts are a real threat to them and their goals.
Doubt you?
You are irrelevant
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