PENTAGON: Two American aircraft carriers are sailing in the Middle East for the first time since 2012, a deployment which joins a large new Marine force and the repositioning of Patriot batteries to Iraq. The movements are part of a broad realignment of forces reflecting the deepening American effort to keep Iran in check.
CentCom chief Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters at the Pentagon this morning that Defense Secretary Mark Esper signed off on the double carrier deployment, and “we’re gonna keep them for awhile,” in the wake of a deadly rocket attack on Camp Taji in Iraq which killed two American troops and one British service member earlier this week. It’s a clear signal to Iran, believed to be behind the attacks, that the United States will strike hard and fast should it become necessary.
On Thursday evening, American aircraft hit five weapons storage facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah, militants the Pentagon says carried out the attack on Taji. It’s unclear if the planes were launched from the sea or an airfield.
In addition to the Truman and Eisenhower carrier strike groups, McKenzie confirmed that Patriot air defense systems are moving into Iraq, though the Patriots wouldn’t have provided any protection against the 107mm rockets launched into Taji. “The Patriot is something you would use against the types of state on state attacks of early January when Iran struck al-Assad” with ballistic missiles, he said. Counter-rocket and mortar systems will also be sent into Iraq not only to protect the Patriots, but knock down smaller rocket attacks.
The defensive systems are an example of the paradox contained in what the Pentagon says is a relatively light footprint deployment to Iraq of about 5,200 US troops. Those troops need to be protected, which calls for more troops, and technologies, to ensure their safety. The Patriot deployment will require several hundred more troops to run and maintain the system, as well as new protection systems to make sure the Patriots, which will be a target for Iranian-backed militias, stay intact.
One element of the American ramp-up in the region McKenzie didn’t mention is a potent force of roughly 2,500 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Bataan currently sailing the North Arabian Sea. The troops, operating from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill, are trained to move from their ships via Osprey tiltrotors to provide quick reaction forces for embassy protection, evacuations and other emergency responses. The Bataan can also provide additional airpower via Harrier jets and Super Cobra attack helicopters.
“I know the cost we pay when we keep two carriers in the CentCom” area McKenzie cautioned, referring to other missions the ships could be performing across the globe. It’s not an academic concern. As Breaking D readers know, thanks to wear and tear caused by lengthy and at times back-to-back deployments to meet the demands of combatant commanders, late last year all six East Coast-based carriers were under repair simultaneously in Norfolk, Va. Both the USS Harry S. Truman and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower — the carriers now in the Middle East — were pierside at the time.
The Truman deployed late last year after serious electrical problems led to it being stuck in port in Norfolk, Va. for months past its deployment date. That late push meant the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier had to extend its deployment to the Middle East three months past a planned seven-month deployment, finally sailing home to San Diego in January.
The trouble rotating carriers in and out of repair and refit availabilities has been a major concern for the Navy. The problem is reflected in the decision to make the new USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of a planned four new Ford-class carriers, the training asset for all East Coast Navy pilots for the next year, as there are no other carriers available. The Ford, which is behind schedule and over budget, has yet to deploy.
Carriers have always been in high demand by commanders around the globe, all of whom want the silhouette of an American big deck shadowing the coastlines of allies and adversaries. “We can move it around to present a completely changing potential threat to an adversary,” McKenzie said. “The carriers are very important to us and we know the Iranians watch them very closely, too.”
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