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Down The Middle - Oct 25, 2006 - Printable Version
- Order of Battle
by Down The Middle
As another naval task force arrives in the Persian Gulf theater, I have to admit that I, too, am not comfortable with Iran possessing nuclear power…but unlike many blogs, I’m not going to sit here and blow smoke up your ass about how Iran is only going to use their nuclear knowledge to produce electricity. Obviously, they have more than enough gas to fire electric generators and you know as well as I do that almost anyone who possesses the know-how to build a bomb will do so. Of course, that in itself does not necessarily justify a first strike. If Iran or any other nation possesses nuclear weapons, we cannot be sure that those weapons will ever be used. On the other hand, we can never be sure that they won’t. I have lived for many years under the direct threat of Soviet ICBMs, during the Cold War and I’m still here…and I feel as though I might stand a fair chance of being here for a little longer, if no one rocks the boat. In those days, we relied on a philosophy appropriately called MAD, for the “Mutually Assured Destruction” both sides would suffer, if either side decided to launch. This fear of annihilation actually kept the peoples of both nations alive, while the US and the USSR fought several small, conventional wars by proxy of smaller, allied countries, never putting the soldiers of the two giants into a direct battlefield conflict. Unfortunately, the question of the pre-emptive strike against Iran is all academic now…because we’re going to hit them soon…and we’re going to hit them hard.
The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, along with it’s battle group of the destroyer USS Ramage, guided missile destroyer USS Mason, guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio and the fast-attack submarine USS Newport News have now arrived in the Persian Gulf, joining up with the USS Enterprise and its strike force. Accompanying the Eisenhower group is said to be two mine sweepers and two mine destroyers, which will be employed to clear the Straits of Hormuz and adjoining coastal waters. Salvage ships may also be employed, in the event of any vessels being scuttled or sunk in the channel.
Also now on station is the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, which includes the amphibious transport dock USS Nashville, the guided-missile destroyers USS Cole and USS Bulkeley, the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, the attack submarine USS Albuquerque, and the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island.
There’s never been any question of the Straits of Hormuz being the key. If you fail to capture and control the Straits, it’s all a wasted trip. If you do capture and control the waterway, you will control the flow of half the world’s oil supply…and subsequently, half of the world. That is an incredible battery of power, in the hands of one nation…and we will use that power to great advantage, in our ongoing world revolution. Of course, this is the stuff that world wars are made of…and eventually, a world war will transpire, from this action.
Not only will several openly hostile, Islamic countries redouble their efforts against the West but also the peoples of the more moderate nations will now join into Jihad, even more than what we have come to face, in Iraq. If our invasion of Iraq hasn’t convinced the moderates of our intent to engage “everywhere”, the trouncing we are about to give Iran will definitely get their attention.
So, I have already answered the first question with “Yes, we will be attacking Iran” and that the key objective to a successful operation is to control the Straits of Hormuz, thereby controlling the flow of oil. This will enable us, to not only guarantee access of crude for our allies and ourselves but to also to restrict access by our adversaries.
Another question is, will we blockade the Straits instead of attacking? A blockade would theoretically produce the same results, regulating which tankers get a pass and which are turned back...but I can’t see it working, in this case. Whether a blockade is an act of war or not, it would certainly be considered as such, by the Iranians. In the event of a blockade, I don’t believe Iran would hesitate to take the first shot. The only advantage, here is for the West to get their war and have the East start it.
When it comes…and it will…we will strike with B-2s out of Whiteman AFB, in Missouri and possibly out of Guam, while F111 Stealth Fighter Bombers will launch from Saudi Arabia, both weapons platforms using JDAM munitions, with the B2s unloading conventional 5,000 lb. Bunker-Busters or the recently designed nuclear model. We may also deploy B-52s, out of Diego Garcia.
Although we will rely heavily on stealth technology to deliver the heaviest payloads to the Iranian bunkers, our land based F-15s, F-16s and carrier based F-18s will fly hundreds of sorties against targets “across the board”, beginning with the deployment of HARM missiles to any threatening SAM {Surface to Air Missile} sites. The fighter-bombers, along with U.S. Navy sea-launched cruise missiles will also attack any and all Iranian, anti-ship cruise missiles, including the much feared SS-N-22 “Sunburn” {land or ship launch platforms}, which flies at over Mach 2.5 with evasive maneuvers. These ship-killers must be taken out before they have the opportunity to launch…or we will likely suffer heavy naval losses.
There is no doubt that we will win this war against Iran…but the price of victory, I can’t say. Aside from the losses we may encounter in this particular engagement, we will suffer unknown reprisals down the road. Not only will we face the numerous possibilities of terrorist attacks, but we must fully realize that this “little” war is going to someday propagate a world war, which is already in the planning. Russia is becoming very displeased with our grab for a monopoly of the world’s resources and will certainly not tolerate us toppling their allies, one at a time. Eventually, they will join forces with the Islamic confederacy in a bid to destroy Israel.
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