USS Nimitz Carrier Moves Into Red Sea, But No Orders for Syria

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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/09/uss-nimitz-carrier-moving-toward-red-sea-but-no-orders-for-syria/

In another “just in case” move by a Navy ship, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz has moved into the Red Sea, but it has not been given orders to be part of the planning for a limited U.S. military strike on Syria, U.S. officials told ABC News.

A U.S. official confirmed that the Nimitz and four other ships moved into the Red Sea earlier today. The official said the carrier strike group has not been assigned a mission and the move to the Red Sea was a prudent move in case its resources are needed to “maximize available options”. The other ships in the strike group are the cruiser USS Princeton and the destroyers USS William P. Lawrence, USS Stockdale and USS Shoup.

On Saturday, President Obama announced that he had decided upon military action against Syria, but that he would first seek authorization from Congress. Another U.S. official said that in the wake of that decision military planners are reviewing their options and force posture requirements in the region.

Last Wednesday, with the likelihood of a U.S. military action against Syria increasing, the USS Nimitz and four other ships in its strike group were kept in the Indian Ocean for what an official described as a “prudent responsible decision.”