Why are we sending 6 naval battle groups to the mid-east?

[Champion Jack]

I just found out that my nephew is shipping out tomorrow from Virginia for the mid east. His ship will be part of six battle groups that are going. I hear that the entire U.S. Navy is eleven battle groups.
So....we're sending over half of our ships to the mid east...for what?
Are *'s ratings that low?



.

[benburch]

1. If I were in Iran

I would be worried.

[VolcanoJen]

6. Me too, benburch. Me, too.

I'm really starting to wonder if bombing the living hell out of Iran (due to something they "find" in the Chalabi allegations) might just be the "October" surprise that happens in June...

[kalian]

29. The US would not need SEVEN CBG.....to attack Iran....

they have all the airbases they could possibly need in Iraq AND
Afghanistan which BORDER Iran. CBGs are a waste and risk too much
since they would have to operate within the Persian Gulf.

My take: its Korea or a major conflagaration with China over Taiwan.

[Dunedain]

47. Bingo

[libhill]

54. World War 3 -

and we`re going to loose our asses - thanks, Shrub -

[ArkDem]

66. I don't know, I think my ass would get tight.

[IranianDemocrat]

59. I disagree.

I think they absolutely would need carrier support because the afghanistan border with Iran isn't even controlled by them, it's controlled by warlords. Second Iran isn't another Iraqi army, they are a very formidable military WITH AN AIRFORCE. The carrier support would be crucial.

[IranianDemocrat]

58. I wouldn't.

Iran has a very formidable army. Think about it, 20 years ago when the army was pretty much NONEXISTENT we drove out Iraq. Now 20 years, billions of dollars, and North Korea, Russian, Chinese, and Libyan support later we have one of the top militaries in the world.

The U.S. army better just stay in it's place and not fuck with the Iranians. We have thousands of years of history of expelling foreign invaders, from the assyrians to genghis khan to saddam hussein.

[benburch]

62. Good army or not...

I would still worry about several thousand cruise missiles coming my way!

I hope you are right, and that your country can do an admirable job of defending itself.

[Jose Diablo]

68. Don't forget Cyrus, he was stopped, also killed.

I forget the name of who stopped Cyrus (the Messatages?), but I remember an account in 'The Histories' by Herodotus how Cyrus bushwhacked the Queen into sending her son to negotiate a truce with Cyrus. The son was killed and beheaded with the head sent back to the Queen. The Queen swore she would give Cyrus a bucket of blood. After defeating Cyrus, she had her troops look for Cyrus's body. She then beheaded Cyrus and holding his head by the hair, she plunged his head in a kettle full of blood.

I also worked with a telecommunications guy in the late 70's that worked in Iran as the shaw was overthrown. The thing the sticks in my mind about his account was how the revolutionaries went to the banks, took out all the 'Reals' (the cash) and just threw it in the streets. This of course totally destroyed the money of the 'old' Iran. No merchants would take the old Reals.

The 'Persians' are very shrewed operators.

[AngryAmish]

76. The Warriors killed Cyrus! The Warriors killed Cyrus!

[midnight armadillo]

71. Terrain

Correct me if I'm wrong, but much of Iran is very mountainous and rugged as well, completely unlike the deserts and plains of Iraq which played to the strengths of US armor. A much tougher fight would result from this alone.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Show of force?

I have no idea, but this is the 2nd post I've seen on this in the past few days.....

[lil-petunia]

3. war war, not jaw jaw

Hey if his poll number droop and sag, start attacking another immmmmenent enema.
Like Jordan. (No, not Mike) Syria. Chechnya. Ceylon. Haiti. Monaco (those stamps are deadly). NO, its Luxemburg! The new evil empire, ready to attack.

[peacetalksforall]

4. Iran. And you might as well include Syria in the meantime.

See-Saw Diplomacy of PNACers. With mortal fall-out.

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. I think we'll have a military coup

before W gets a chance to try to attack a country like Syria or Iran. Those countries have not been under severe sanctions and still have fairly well equipped armies and air forces. W would have to be totally nuts to launch an attack on such formidable countries, especially with Iraq in such a mess.

[Nevernose]

10. It won't start as an "attack"

It will begin as a "strike." When the Iranians/Syrians/Brown People refuse to cooperate, further "strikes" will be needed.

[AngryAmish]

16. Syria is a puppy

Really bad armed forces. Iran, however, is a different story. Iran is huge.

[KittyWampus]

24. Syria's Army Is No Puppy.

[kalian]

36. Syria has much better equipment than Iran....

don't under-estimate Syria...

[AngryAmish]

41. And don't over estimate it either

Syria would have wiped Israel off them map (and tried to several times and failed)if they had armed forces worth a damn. Syria is not a really wealthy country. Much of its arms are essentially gifts from the Soviet Union. See Gulf War I and II to see how well Soviet equipment does against Western stuff.

Also, Syria is and has been for a long time a dictatorship. That means decision making is highly centralized. Once an unit gets cut off, the individuals lack the initiative to make effective battlefield decisions. It is a cultural factor of being in a dictatorship which is a large reason why in a shooting war Syria would be in deep trouble.

[IranianDemocrat]

61. I don't know...

if you want to get into a military discussion, I can talk about Iran's f-14's, f-4 phantoms, f-5's, mig 23's, medium and long range missles destroyers, kilo class subs etc...

[ArkDem]

74. Hey, that US equipment you are talking about has all be

obsoleted by our military.

[IranianDemocrat]

60. I don't know about syria.

But Iran truly has a formidable military.

[AngryAmish]

65. As I said, Iran is different

Around 68 millions folks, and the Ayatollahs think nothing about human-wave attacks. Iran's air force would not stand a chance. That is a simple fact. If they flew, they would die.

According to the CIA Factbook, Iran spent around $9.7 Billion in 2000 on military expenditures. It does not compare with our spending. Not even close.

The problem with fighting Iran is there are so many Iranians.

Oh, Irans Navy would be on the bottom in about twenty minutes. US has too much air to surface capability as well as attack subs. Persian Gulf is kinda a bathtub and Iran's subs are easily found (since they could not fight us in the air, our anti-sub aircraft would find them really quick. Or in a Tom Clancy like sub duel I would place the bet with the US Navy.)

[htuttle]

67. I would hesitate to judge US military effectiveness by the amount we spend

...given what we've seen regarding the billing practices of our military contractors.

For example, I have little doubt that the US government pays double or triple what the Russians or especially the Chinese spend on the same munitions, if they are produced domestically. I doubt the PLA has ever spent $400 on a toilet seat.

[jayfish]

69. Absolutely Ridiculous

The key to any conflict against US forces is air defense, air defense, air defense and training. Iran has both, courtesy of our Russian friends. Any country with a real air defense system (especially battle field ad) would give US forces serious problems. Lets not puff ourselves up over the military slap-down in Iraq. The true "simple fact" is that the Iraqi forces walked off the field without much of a fight. Remember the videos of GI's blowing up perfectly good Iraqi armor? The Iraqis who stood and fought had some success but most were mercilessly slaughtered by US close air support. Any country with the ability to give it's ground forces cover to maneuverer and fight back would be a nightmare for the US military. Remember, although in transition, the US military is still very much built on the idea of long-range, stand-off defense and nuclear deterrence. Not ground offense. You might also want to think about the economics of fighting a country with real air defense. Modern American combat aircraft cost billions of dollars per copy and take months and months to build. A war against a real power would cost us more than we are willing to pay. Why do you think we went after Iraq instead of the real threats in the world? As far as hardware goes, Russian stuff is operationally comparable to US gear, period. It's who's behind the stick or sight that makes the difference. Iraq had Tons and tons of gear that did not even see the battlefield. Remember when US forces arrived in Tikrit? There were hangers full of perfectly good, unused armor. We shouldn't be so quick to smack all of the bee-hives cluttering the middle east. We may not like the painful result.


Jay

[libhill]

55. But, he is nuts -

or haven`t you noticed?

[VolcanoJen]

5. Didn't the 24th MEU (Marines Expeditionary Unit) just deploy to Iraq, too?

I thought that was something of an ominous signal, when I first read about it... hasn't the MEU always been a "crisis response" unit?

Or... are they just turning those poor guys into warm-body-watchers and street-cops, too?

[readmylips]

7. Navy...that's where my son is headed....

we don't know why. I over heard my daughter-in-law say that they'll be there for the troop pullout. In other words, cut and run. I am just so sick of this war..war...war...shit.

[MrMonk]

8. Interesting

My boss's son shipped out yesterday.
(Is 12 hours notice typical?)

Here's a link taken from a 6/11 post above:
http://www.rense.com/general53/rumor.htm

[Sparky McGruff]

11. We need to use the ships to cart back all the troops and gear!

After all, we're handing over control of Iraq on June 30th, right? We'll have to bring all those troops and tanks back home in a hurry! I think we're also sending the 5th U-Haul Van Battalion, as well. I hope they have enough bubble wrap!

</sarcasm>

[FreakinDJ]

12. They are going after Iran

The large number of Naval vessels says it all

I have read articles of the pentagon asking to go into Pakistan this summer to round up Osama Bin Laudin and the remains of the Al Quaida hiding in the tribal regions of the country.

Notice Iran is wedged firmly in between Pakistan and Iraq

<>

The remaining border to the south is coast line

Iran's nuclear reactor in Bushehr is also on that coast line

[Champion Jack]

17. He was told to prep for six months

[Hell Hath No Fury]

13. NNN0LHI...

-- I think that's who -- has been posting about a sharp increase in train traffic where he is, the same type of spike that was happening in the lead-up to Iraq.

I think we need to keep an eye on stories like this...

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. Yes, it is NNNOLHI.

Gone from 5 - 6 trains per day to 50 - 60. He was right the last time and I figure he is right this time.

[janx]

50. Are these trains by any chance loaded with military equipment?

Because about a month ago, I saw a very long train loaded with military vehicles heading west--I couldn't figure out where it was going or why, but I'd never seen anything like it.

[greatauntoftriplets]

64. He didn't know what was on the trains.

I saw something similar to what you saw, back in October of 2002, in the Chicago suburbs, heading west.

[chookie]

15. The war is about to get bigger//A Question, please

Why Iraq is like WWII and NOT Viet Nam -- simple! WWII was a WORLD WAR. Viet Nam was NOT a world war.

Therefore, I think we are being softened up to prepare for Iraq to become a World War.

QUESTION -- how long is it going to take them to get there?

[kalian]

37. World War....? Against WHOM?

The rest of the Middle East poses NO THREAT to the US except Israel.
Israel has nukes...and thus it can be considered a viable threat.

Now, if China and/or Russia were to start rattling their sabres, then
we have some major issues down the road...but that does not seem to
be the case. Sure, China also went out on "major naval exercises"
but they claim its to send a message to Taiwan.

Something else is up...but I don't know what. It could definitely be
Korea...I'm checking my sources....

[makhno]

42. A minor correction

The rest of the Middle East poses NO THREAT to the US except Israel.

Should read: The rest of the Middle East poses NO THREAT to the US but does to Israel.

This might explain that.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

18. They're shipping out of San Diego too.

For points unknown.

I paste the following from this thread: (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1701699)


Navy to Deploy Carrier Groups to Test Rapid Readiness

A major exercise soon to be underway will have a large part of the Navy fleet deploying out of Norfolk.

WAVY News 10 has learned the Navy is sending seven carrier strike groups out to sea.

The exercise is designed to test the Navy's new rapid deployment readiness.

...

While the Navy won't say where the seven carrier groups are going, the carriers not already deployed are expected to be gone for only one to two months.
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1902088&nav=23iiNU2h

Coronado, Calif. -- The carrier USS John C. Stennis left Naval Air Station North Island Monday just after 8 a.m. on a four-month deployment in the Pacific Ocean.

Thousands of sailors said their goodbyes to family members on the dock at Naval Air Station North Island before the sun came up Monday. The carrier will lead a six-ship strike group on a deployment to the Western Pacific. The other ships are the missile cruiser Lake Champlain, the destroyer Howard, the guided-missile frigate Ford, the fast-attack submarine Salt Lake City and the replenishment ship Rainier. All of the ships are based in San Diego except the Ford and the Ranier, which are ported in Bremerton, Wash.

Although the ships are not scheduled to deploy off of Iraq, Capt. David Buss said the mission is open-ended.

"My crystal ball gets a little fuzzy as I look toward the outer months of the deployment. We're not exactly sure what our tasking will be or where we'll be asked to go," Buss told NBC 7/39. "This is deployment No. 10 for me personally, and the one thing that I've told the crew is the nine I've done before, not a single one has gone the way it was scripted the day we left homeport. Because of that, we're pretty much ready to respond wherever we're needed throughout the world."
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/3339032/detail.html

Freaky, freaky stuff! :scared:

[stavka]

19. My guess? - we aren't.

We have never deployed more than 80% of the fleet post WWII at all, and certainly not to one portion of a theater. Maybe your relative just got it wrong.

Look at what constitutes a "battle group" - if it aint got a carrier or naval assualt ship as its core, it isn't a "battle group".

What good would the US Navy be against a current fantasy foe anyway?

Unless we are going to attack Israel.....

Iran has very little left to bomb, and no airforce, and little coast

Syria has no post 1991 airpower, and would be stupid to challenge us, and no coast (and no reason to be attacked that could be sold)

Maybe we are going to attack Pakistan?

Paranoia posts are what make it soooooo easy to make fun of the left on this board.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

20. Stick around long enough...

and you'll see that (unfortunately) many of the "paranoid" posts are the ones that later turn out to be true.

Damn, where is my nickle for every newbie who talks about being embarrassed about the "left" here??? :)

[Stephanie]

26. Those are the newbies from Freeperland

Don't get me wrong, I hate Bush just as much as everyone else here, but I think we are loosing this baddle.

[never cry wolf]

28. If you read the above posts, these ARE battle groups

And in addition, Iran has plenty left to bomb, I think you are confusing it with Itaq because your assessment of it's coastline is off as well.



We also have them surrounded in Iraq and Afghanastan and the sabres have been rattling in the press lately. Do some homework and learn something, ok!

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.html

[kalian]

32. Ummm.....attack Israel...?

what the hell have you been smoking? Israel controls the US and the
last thing that we would do is attack Israel... :eyes:

[AntiCoup2K4]

73. Well... if Junior is the Antichrist....

..the Antichrist will turn against Israel about halfway through his 7 year reign of terror.

But I don't think the PNAC'ers would like that very much.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

43. What's it like to be SOOOO wrong?

[alfredo]

46. Any big movement of troops brings speculation.

My impression was that this maneuver is a show of force. At least I want to believe that. I hope we are not opening a new front. That would be so stupid.

But bush likes forcing a crisis. Not only has he done it in Iraq, he is doing it with the economy and the constitution.

Hey, paranoid posts are part of the fun here. Some are sincere, some are tongue in cheek. Don't pass judgment until you can tell them apart.

[libhill]

56. You`d better be paranoid -

we`ve got a group of fukkin` mad men running our country.

[DemBones DemBones]

21. It's June, when summer U.S. Navy "exercises" traditionally begin,

as I remember from growing up in a Navy family (and later dating a couple of dishy midshipmen from the Naval Academy in Annapolis!) Ships go to sea for training missions that can't be done in port. Army and Marines traditionally do war games in summer, too.

Besides that, we ARE at war in Iraq and about to turn the government over to the Iraqis so they probably think some extra help could be needed. Besides that, there could be something bigger afoot. But so far this sounds normal to me.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

22. UPDATE: it's 7 battle groups...

and they're not just going to the Middle East.

Are these the paranoid rantings of a tin-foil hatter? Nope! Straight from the horses mouth:

http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=13621

Seven Carrier Strike Groups Underway for Exercise “Summer Pulse 04”

Story Number: NNS040603-02 Release Date: 6/3/2004 11:40:00 AM

Special release from the U.S. Department of Defense

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Department of Defense announced June 2 that this summer, simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs) will demonstrate the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe by operating in five theaters with other U.S., allied and coalition military forces.

“Summer Pulse 04” will be the Navy’s first exercise of its new operational construct, the Fleet Response Plan (FRP). FRP is about new ways of operating, training, manning, and maintaining the fleet that results in increased force readiness and the ability to provide significant combat power to the President in response to a national emergency or crisis.

Beginning this week and continuing through August, the Navy will exercise the full range of skills involved in simultaneously deploying and employing carrier strike groups around the world. Summer Pulse 04 will include scheduled deployments, surge operations, joint and international exercises, and other advanced training and port visits.

Under the FRP construct, the Navy can provide six CSGs in less than 30 days to support contingency operations around the globe, and two more CSGs can be ready in three months to reinforce or rotate with initially responding forces, to continue presence operations in other parts of the world, or to support military action in another crisis. Summer Pulse 04 will exercise the logistics and shore infrastructure necessary to execute a large scale surge operation, stress the operational concepts in the Navy’s Sea Power 21 strategy, and improve Navy interoperability with numerous allies and coalition partners, as well as other U.S. military forces.

The seven aircraft carriers involved in Summer Pulse 04 will include: the Norfolk-based USS George Washington (CVN 73) CSG and the San Diego-based USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) CSG, both currently deployed, and Yokosuka, Japan-based USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). The Mayport, Fla.-based USS John F Kennedy (CV 67) CSG will begin a combined and joint exercise early this month, followed by a scheduled overseas deployment. The Norfolk-based USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) CSG will conduct a scheduled training exercise followed by overseas pulse operations with the Norfolk-based USS Enterprise (CVN 65) CSG, beginning early this month. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) will conduct operations in the U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command theaters during the ship’s interfleet transfer from Norfolk, Va., to its Pacific Fleet homeport of San Diego.

The near-simultaneous deployment of seven carrier strike groups provides the Navy and the joint combatant commanders an opportunity to exercise the FRP while maintaining the ability to respond to crises around the globe, enhance regional security and relationships, meet combatant commander requirements including forward presence, and demonstrate a commitment to allies and coalition partners. Summer Pulse 04 is scheduled to conclude in August.

For more information on the Summer Pulse 04 events and to schedule coverage opportunities, please contact Fleet Forces Command media office at [phone].

For more news from the Department of Defense, go to www.defenselink.mil .

For more news from around the fleet, visit the Navy NewsStand at www.news.navy.mil

========

Make of it what you will. I found this at www.urbansurvival.com/week.htm. The folks over there think it's preparation for us getting hit with a meteor or something like that... Check it out ... if you dare....

[kalian]

33. Makes no sense whatsoever....

sending out navy ships out to sea because we're about to get smacked
by a meteor...? :eyes: Bullshit....

[Taylor Mason Powell]

38. Hey, I'm just the messenger!

The site I got that from explains this by saying it's easier for ships at sea to deal with huge tsunamis than ones at shore.

I wouldn't know.

[PurityOfEssence]

52. Operation Huge Throbbing Schlong

From the folks who brought you Faith-Based War.

[Stephanie]

23. KOREA

They're going to trump their previous wars just in time for the election. Nuclear alert, everybody. To your bunkers. Not kidding.

[kalian]

30. Agreed....

[crossroads]

25. Check out these links...

Check this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1715186&mesg_id=1715465

And this one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1715186


May be no connection at all... but.... Interesting mix, eh?
:scared:

[kalian]

27. Why would they deploy the navy...?

If an ELE event were about to take place...? Makes no sense whatsoever.

[Minstrel Boy]

31. navies would be safer in deep sea than at harbour

They stand a chance of riding out the waves in deep water. At the shore, where the shallow water would pile the waves up a tremendous height, they wouldn't.

Interestingly, it's not just the US navy setting out. The Russian, British, Chinese and others are putting to sea right now as well in unusually large numbers.

[kalian]

34. Ummm...not really UNLESS they knew where the impact occurs....

seriously, it would make jack squat difference if a meteor hit out at
sea. Ships would be GONE.

[Minstrel Boy]

35. That would be my assumption.

If there are big rocks a-coming, the ships will be steaming away from the projected impact areas.

I don't think this is what's happening, though there are troubling, suggestive factoids. (Like waking up this morning to the news of the Washington meteor, and reading reports of other recent fireballs.) We'll know soon, I suppose.

I fear a catastrophe looms, but I don't think it'll be a natural one.

[MrMonk]

45. Report of a recent fireball

from bushcountry.org, nonetheless:

Here is an interesting article I pulled just a few days ago. These fireballs have increased significantly over the last several weeks and are happening EVERYWHERE.

Fireball Near Grover´s Mill, N.J.

Startled New Jersey residents tied-up the phone lines late this evening calling authorities to report a large orange fireball that passed over the town and apparently hit the ground several miles west of Grover´s MIll. No reports of fires or injuries from the area have been made, but locals expressed concern that the unknown phenomena had made a rumbling noise when it passed over that was strong enough to rattle windows and frighten pets.

"I thought a jet was coming down right in the street," said Betty Ocker, a housewife in Grover´s Mill, "it was loud, and I mean really loud."

Police have asked residents to clear up the telephone lines and use them only for emergency purposes until things get worked out, said a town spokesperson. Apparently the local districts received so many calls after the meteor passed overhead that the lines jammed and they have been unable to handle normal calls for police assistance.

Local fire teams were dispatched to the woods west of town to make sure that no fires were started by the space rock, but none of them have reported finding anything as yet.

ON EDIT: This was reported seriously on the website. Anyone else recognize it?

[Minstrel Boy]

48. Grover's Mill rings this bell:

[cthrumatrix]

39. Must read...it outlines a "potential" rationale for this movement.......

Rogue Bush Backers prepare Super 9/11 False Flag Terror Attacks

INN Preview Exclusive -June 2

By Webster Griffin Tarpley

Toronto, May 30 – Intelligence patterns monitored over the US Memorial
Day weekend now point conclusively to an imminent new round of ABC
(atomic-bacteriological-chemical) terror attacks in the United States,
Great Britain, Canada, and possibly other nations. These attacks could
include nuclear detonations, radiological dirty bombs, poison gas and
other chemical weapons, or biological agents, to be unleashed in such
urban settings as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC,
Vancouver BC, or London.

The goal of these operations would be to
produce a worldwide shock several orders of magnitude greater than the
original 9-11, with a view to stopping the collapse of the Bush
administration, the Wall Street-centered financial structures, and the
US-UK strategic position generally. The attacks would be attributed by
US/UK intelligence to controlled patsy terrorist groups who would be
linked by the media to countries like Iran, Syria, Cuba, or North
Korea.

The organizers of the attacks would in reality be substantially
the same secret command cell in the United States which set up the 9-11
events and its associated networks, which have been able to continue in
operation because of the abject failure of all 9-11 investigations to
date to identify them....

snip
http://inn.globalfreepress.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=355

long article...but it connects the dot's in a very scary way.

[kalian]

40. So, is this why shrub is heading to Europe...?

to be away from the danger zone...? :shrug:

[lostnfound]

44. Would these be useful in any way if Saudi Arabia was toppled?

Just asking. I hear reports that it is getting very unstable over there.

[Atman]

49. Something bad? Very bad?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1701699&mesg_id=1701699

[LeftofU]

51. Iran....n/t

[burrowowl]

53. Well

we could hope that they are deployed to safely escort and carry the troops home.
Or as Shakespeare said: Hope springs eternal in the heart of a fool.

[nomatrix]

57. Because Bush is counting on those last

minute absentee military ballots.

[Kitsune]

80. More soldiers overseas = more ballots that can be checked for "accuracy"

I'd say you hit the nail on the head.

And of course, getting to start another war in October would probably make B*sh's day as well. Two birds, one cruise missile!

[JM]

63. Two possibilities

1) Our news media, politicians etc. have all been saying our military is stretched thin. What better way to show we can still beat the shit out of anyone anywhere than to project power.

2) I am suspicious of the fact we have G8, DNC, and RNC scheduled on the east coast this summer, all within spitting distance of the Atlantic Ocean. They are spread so far that covering the coast for anti-terror interdiction would be impossible for the CG alone. Remember the shipping terror alerts?

JM

[libertad]

70. This is a regularly scheduled deployment.

[Ripley]

72. NO, IT CAN'T BE...THE SKY IS FALLING!

Man, people are really wound up today. Instead of it being a normal deployment for training or whatever the hell they ALWAYS do every so often, a giant asteroid is going to hit the Earth! No, wait, Smirky has gone insane (er) and is starting WWIII! No, wait, it's just PNAC back on track to get Syria and Iran now that Tenet is outa the way...

:eyes:

[Minstrel Boy]

79. Seven carrier groups at sea is unprecedented.

An asteroid may not fall, but this is unusual.

The official explanation is almost a tautology: they want to do it to see if they can do it. We'll see. But it's hardly paranoia to pay attention to the chess pieces.

[Ripley]

83. It IS paranoia when things happen that were...

planned months in advance, and they happen to coincide with freaky political happenings.

[TexasSissy]

75. 'Cause we're in a war, I guess. Maybe we're going to strike Syria, too.

[ScreamingMeemie]

77. Because they've been watching too much "Pinky and the Brain"??

And yeah, his ratings are that low. I shudder to think what he's capable of if he loses.

[EldreEdda]

78. Crazy IMO

I don't understand why Iran need to be attacked in the first place. Well, I don't even understand why Iraq had to be attacked...

[Zero Division]

81. "'Show of force' off Oil-Rich West Africa" - Looks like this may be it

Just ran across this link from the comments section at Atrios'site:
http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2004&dt=0605&pub=Utusan_Express&sec=World&pg=wo_05.htm

Excerpts:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LAGOS June 4 - A US navy battlegroup is to make a ``show of force'' in the oil-rich waters of the Gulf of Guinea, off west Africa, diplomats said Friday, as Washington hones plans to escape its dependence on unstable Middle Eastern supplies by securing more African crude....

``Operation Summer Pulse '04 aims to demonstrate the capabilities of the US navy; before we only had two or three operations involving aircraft carriers at any one time,'' he said, adding that seven carrier groups are to be deployed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Guinea.

``The navy wants, through this exercise, to demonstrate to the world that, even with all its current responsibilities, it can still position half-a-dozen aircraft carriers with all the neccessary support ships in the four corners of the world, at the same time,'' he said...

The diplomat said the deployment of the carrier group was not intended as a means of directly protecting privately operated oil facilities, but that US forces would seek greater cooperation with Nigerian and other African forces.

In particular, he said, planners hoped to secure Africa's coast to prevent an influx of Islamic extremists driven out of the Middle East and seeking sanctuary in areas like Nigeria's mainly-Muslim north. - AFP
----------------------------------------------------------------------

[JM]

82. I think I figured this out

1) We have a terror alert issued with more than 7 people on the poster, not because there is a threat, but becasue we lost track of them.

2) There is serious concern over the RNC and G8. I doubt they would go after the G8 becasue they would rather take on just us with no help. Hitting the G8 would invite response from other coutries.

3) Sending 6 goups to the Middle East along with the MEU does two things. First, it sends a very visible message to any countries that would consider supporting a strike on us that we are ready in an instant to hit back. Second, it is not so much an exercise in rapid response as it is prepositioning for what our leadership feels is the inevitable terror strike againt us.

JM