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Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran

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  • Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070220...litaryirangulf

    MANAMA (AFP) - A second US aircraft carrier has arrived in Middle Eastern waters as promised by US President George W. Bush in January amid an escalating crisis with nearby Iran over its nuclear program.

    The USS John C. Stennis and its accompanying strike group joined the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Sea of Oman but has not yet entered Gulf waters, the US Fifth Fleet said Tuesday from its base in Manama.

    The Stennis "entered the US 5th Fleet area of operations... to conduct maritime security operations in regional waters, as well as to provide support for ground forces operating in Afghanistan and Iraq," said a US statement.

    Bush on January 10 unveiled his new strategy for Iraq which included deploying a second aircraft carrier group and a Patriot anti-missile defense system "to reassure our friends and allies."

    (excerpted)

  • #2
    Re: Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran


    An American sailor walks on the deck of the US aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis berthed at the West Port in Kuala Lumpur in September 2004. A second US aircraft carrier has arrived in Middle Eastern waters as promised by US President George W. Bush in January amid an escalating crisis with nearby Iran over its nuclear programme.(AFP/File/Jimin Lai)

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    • #3
      Re: Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran

      Also the Reagan Strike Group is forward deployed in the Pacific...

      The Truman recently loaded full supply of air deliverable weapons at Norfolk. She is at "surge ready" status....

      The 12 "delayed" F-22 Raptors are now in Japan...

      .....along with approx. 15 F117A's forward deployed to South Korea.

      An F-16 Wing, including air refueling tankers is forward deployed from Germany to air bases in Turkey....

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      • #4
        Re: Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran

        [QUOTE=TomT]
        The 12 "delayed" F-22 Raptors are now in Japan...
        QUOTE]

        Japan or Okinawa (Kadena?)

        Interesting deployments. I think the F-22's is just a normal deployment to evaluate overwater deployments, and to get some operational experience in the SEA theater. I wouldn't be surprised to see them redeploy in two or three months. However, the aircraft carrier battle groups' deployments and the F-16s forward deployed to Turkey are interesting. That, along with the 10 missiles deployed to Poland and the radar site to Czech Republic.

        WLNF

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        • #5
          Re: Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran

          Other than the fact that this is the first ever forward deployment of F-22 Raptors outside of the United States - and taken in total isolation I would tend to agree that it's all just a "test"...

          ...in fact the latest news articles state that the F-22 deployment will only last til around April...

          However if the US has plans to secretly relocate the just deployed Reagan Strike Group from the far Pacific to join up with the Stennis and the Dwight D. Eisenhower (i.e for a total of 3 carrier wings off Iran) - then deployment of the 12 F-22 Raptors + plus the 15 F117s capable of dealing with issues in NK starts to make a lot of sense....

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          • #6
            Re: Second US aircraft carrier arrives near Iran

            I think we could be seeing the buildup before the dominoes start falling. But it is hard to tell, things could easily simmer down pretty quick as they often do in the ME. We better keep watching.

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