thx
Posted on 01/17/2016 1:57:49 PM PST by Taxman
CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, January 18, 2016
Iranian coup: A tale of two U.S. Navy vessels
Last week, the U.S. Navy dispatched two of its fearsomely armed Riverine Command Boats (RCBs) to patrol between Kuwait and Bahrain. Somehow, the RCBs were seized by the Iranian Navy; the crewmembers arrested, and -- even though the U.S. and Iran are not technically at war -- treated as Prisoners of War (POWs). How could this happen?
The Swedish-designed, U.S.- manufactured RCBs cost $2.8 million per copy. Each RCB carries six machine guns, to include a .50 caliber Gatling gun, plus grenade launchers. Covered with armor plating able to deflect AK-47 fire, the RCB’s 49.4 mile-per-hour top speed means RCBs can outrun every known surface warship.
To guard against surprise attack, RCBs carry the Sea FLIR III infrared sensor system, thermal imaging, a laser rangefinder, and long-range radar. Navigation is by a top-of-the line GPS and chart plotter system, along with traditional chart and compass back-up. The RCB’s world-wide communications gear nets with ships, aircraft, and ground forces.
Operating in pairs, the RCBs provide each other with mutual fire support. If one RCB is disabled, the other RCB can tow it to safety. Thus, the question arises: How could two RCBs lose their ability to navigate at the same time and stray into Iranian waters? And how could two world-class weapons platforms be seized by the, arguably, inferior Iranian Navy?
Apparently, one of the RCBs had a propulsion problem and radioed U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain for assistance. Congressman Louis Gohmert (R) of Texas claims the Obama White House intervened, asked the Iranian Navy to provide assistance, and ordered the U.S. 5th Fleet to stand down.
By long-standing naval custom, disabled boats found in territorial waters are rendered assistance, and simply escorted back into international waters. Their crews are not subjected to POW treatment or put on world-wide video display, looking like criminals.
But, instead of being treated as distressed vessels exercising the mariners’ right of innocent passage, the Iranians arrested the crew members, treated them as POWs, and, somehow, got the officer-in-charge to make filmed statements praising the Iranians and saying the treatment the crew received was: "Fantastic."
Absent Congressman Gohmert’s explanation -- citing White House intervention -- it appears Articles II and V of the U.S. military’s Code of Conduct were violated. Article II states: "I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist." Article V reads: "When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the best of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause."
Alternatively, could it be that the White House-imposed Rules of Engagement (ROE) robbed the RCBs of their "means to resist"? Were the RCB’s awesome weapons even permitted to be loaded? Congress should demand to see the Operations Order under which the two RCBs left Kuwait for Bahrain and demand copies of all the communications between the RCBs, U.S. 5th Fleet, and the White House. Meanwhile, the RCB crews are left twisting in the wind.
Nationally syndicated columnist, William Hamilton, is a laureate of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma University Army ROTC Wall of Fame, and is a recipient of the University of Nebraska 2015 Alumni Achievement Award. He was educated at the University of Oklahoma, the George Washington University, the Infantry School, the U.S Naval War College, the University of Nebraska, and Harvard University.
©2016. William Hamilton.
Technology has passed me by!
Naw...You just took your eye off of it. GPS is very important to me so I stay up on it, that’s all.
That was my first gut reaction.
“Congress should demand the Terrorist in Chief to stand trial for treason on many counts throughout the 7 years of dictatorship. But they will continue to do nothing.”
Whoop! There itis!
(Or, possibly, at position x, headed toward Bahrain at however many, uh, knots, I believe it is? Please see tagline.)
More’s the pity.
My vision is a SuperMax and orange jump suits for the lot of them!
Congress won’t impeach him. Why isn’t anyone invoking the 25th Amendment and declaring him unfit? Ia there anyone in Washington who will defend the Constitution?
“Congress won’t impeach him. Why isn’t anyone invoking the 25th Amendment and declaring him unfit? Ia there anyone in Washington who will defend the Constitution?”
Sadly the apparent answer to your question is no!
And if you look at their live fire drill it seems really improbably that anybody in a Boston Whaler could successfully overwhelm them. One of the sailors says they train every couple of weeks, and they have an M2, M240, and M 134 gatling gun in operation. And gunner's positions have some armor. See them in action here
Of course the why of the surrender may never be known, whether it was some scheme concocted from above, or a need to create a diversion to allow some other operation to succeed.
Minor detail, but the gatling gun shown in the Iranian video looks like the 7.62MM M134. I think the author of the article got it wrong, since videos from the 5th Fleet show the smaller gatling gun being used. See 5th Fleet Live Fire Drill
Needless to say taking on the smaller gatling gun from a Boston Whaler armed with one mounted 7.62 mm gun and some AK-47s would still be a life ending event. Particularly when you were also taking fire from the 50 caliber M2 and another 7.62mm M240 machine gun.
thx
Just so...I have to believe Travis is closer to the truth...they were sacrificial lambs for Iranian photo-op to embarass USA.
The lack of tow line/s with two boats is pure BS.
Lack of fuel doesn’t work given known traveo distance. WWII PT boats and Vietnam riverine craft, all had extra fuel bbls for extended range as SOP.
Engine break down also specious given that allegedly both boats returned under their own power.
Both comms down?
So what’s left.
Took me a while to get there, but I eventually did.
The problem we all have is how do we channel our anger and disgust with this evil administration into something positive for America?
We are but Keyboard Kowboys until we cause something positive to happen!
If GPS is so important to our warfighting capabilities, it seems to me that there MUST be a secure wartime GPS capability?
I'm not talking about our government or Iran's. I'm talking about the number of members of our military that you think must be in on the conspiracy.
50cal GG’s have all been switched to the GAU 19(I think).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYMXafe60LU
Pretty sure all 6 barrel units are Dillon Aero M-134D and 7.62mm.
They are still relatively secure but in the electronics world nothing is truly secure.
It is nearly impossible to believe anything positive about Iran but if it’s negative...
lotta lead down range in a short time
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