[guide.chat] news u s navy in the gulf

  • From: vanessa <qwerty1234567a@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "GUIDE CHAT" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:28:25 -0000

U.S. Navy Looks to Bolster Capabilities in Persian Gulf 
07:21 GMT, March 19, 2012 WASHINGTON | The Strait of Hormuz is a critical 
global choke point and the U.S. Navy is ensuring it has all the capabilities 
needed for this transit point to remain open, Navy Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, 
chief of naval operations, said Mar. 16. 

The admiral told the Defense Writers? Group that the Navy is beefing up 
capabilities in the Persian Gulf, through which much of the world?s oil flows. 

On one side of the strait are U.S. allies Oman and the United Arab Emirates. On 
the other side is Iran, whose leaders have threatened to shut down the 
strategic body of water. 

Greenert spoke with Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. 
Central Command, soon after he became CNO in September 2010. Mattis said there 
were capabilities he needed more of, the admiral recalled. 

Greenert went to the region and assessed what the Navy needed ?to set the 
theater.? He was aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as it exited 
the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.

?I got a good look at the situation,? the admiral said. ?A lot of the Iranian 
navy was out there ? not really threatening, but being vigilant, and I thought 
through that.?

He met with Central Command and Navy leaders and laid out what more is needed 
in the region.

Greenert said he will double the number of mine warfare assets in the region, 
including mine sweepers -- going from four ships to eight -- and anti-mine 
aircraft in the form of four more CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters.

The admiral also wants to increase the readiness of the forces in the region. 
?If I have four out there, how many are ready to go on any given day?? he said. 
?I wanted to make sure we are good on that and it includes spare parts, 
maintenance and contractor support.?

Greenert said the Navy also is sending more underwater unmanned autonomous mine 
neutralization units to the region. ?They are effective, they work well and our 
British partners know how to use them as well,? he said.

For ships sailing through the strait, the Navy is providing more infrared and 
electro-optical capabilities. ?We want to make sure that all the ships that 
deploy have the same configuration on board and the crews are proficient,? the 
admiral said.

Navy forces need more short-range defenses in the region, Greenert said. It is 
a constrained area, he noted, and while carrier battle groups have excellent 
long-range defenses, they need something more. ?It?s like being in an alley 
with a rifle, and maybe what you need is a sawed-off shotgun,? he said.

The Navy is looking at placing Mark 38 Gatling guns aboard the escorts or the 
carriers themselves, the admiral said.

?We have five patrol craft. They are 200-foot vessels that are armed with small 
arms. There are relatively short-range missiles out there -- roughly four miles 
-- and they are pretty effective according to special operations command,? he 
said. ?I want to look and see if they are compatible with our [patrol craft] ? 
so they are a more effective, more lethal vessel.?

There are five patrol craft in the United States, three more coming back to the 
Navy from the Coast Guard and five in the Persian Gulf, Greenert said

?I want to move toward upgrading the PCs in the United States with Gatling guns 
and put them in Bahrain, ultimately, and we?ll have 10 [in the Gulf],? the 
admiral said.

Within a year, most of the capabilities will be in place in region, he said.


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