Navy training to raid Iran

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24971

Navy training to raid Iran
Submitted by davidswanson on Sun, 2007-07-22 14:07. Iran

By Andrew Schoerke, Capt USNR, ret.

I track Naval ship and Marine Corps unit movements. The recent sudden deployment of the Enterprise Strike Group on July 8, together with the Survival/Evasion/ Resistance/ Escape instruction now being given to navy personnel, on board the amphibious assault ship in the Persian Gulf, who would be involved in an operation putting marines inside hostile territory - Iran - is, to say the least, alarming. Connecting the dots, I believe that it could portend some type of raid or attack this Fall on Iranian nuclear facilities.

This morning I learned that the combat tour of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13 MEU), currently doing counter-insurgency operations in al-Anbar Province, Iraq, but assigned to the Bon Homme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group, will be extended through September. It would be the 13 MEU, operating off of the Bon Homme Richard strike group, that would carry out a raid into Iranian territory.

I am trying to get this information to as many people as soon as possible in an effort to stop these crazies. I would like to meet with CODEPINK as soon as possible to share my documentation on this. I am also been working with Christine Yorty from the UFPJ-Iran subcommittee in getting the word out. Please reply as soon as possible.

[leftchick]

1. are there any sane military commanders left?

Who would resist this insanity??

[monktonman]

2. They've all been fired.

[sarcasmo]

3. The Iran attack will happen, not if but when.

[bonito]

4. Needs a kick

:kick:

[seemslikeadream]

5. I've been waiting for something to happen

[OzarkDem]

6. and what do they plan to do after that?

The Bonnie Dick and its strike group aren't enough to sustain an invasion of Iran. Where do the rest of the troops come from?

Nevermind, I don't want to know.

[dkofos]

11. Who needs troops? They plan to nuke Iran.

[Ghost Dog]

20. It's just a matter of securing a few oilfields, on relatively easy terrain,

near the NE Persian Gulf coast.

The rest of the people of the great Persian/Greek enormously historical culture can go to hell, the neocon neoimperialists calculate, I guess.

Did somebody say, "rude awakening"?

[TheBaldyMan]

22. Yeah should just be another cakewalk

It's not going to happen.

[mmonk]

7. Thanks for that. The American people are the last to know

what is going on.

[FogerRox]

8. MEU is only 2200 troops

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Expeditionary_Unit

Check my DU journals, I long ago stopped worrying about a single report of small level movements.

[mmonk]

9. Anything done early against a foe that doesn't want to

fight you starts in small operations and probes.

[ohio2007]

10. Crying wolf for almost half this decade now

eventually an invasion by somebody will happen so the breaking news stories will get one of these predictions of invasion right.

[mmonk]

15. What other purpose might they have for doing anything in Iran?

[caligirl]

19. Out of the 2200 in the MEU only about half are actual trigger pullars.

So this is a small force being introduced into a country with divisions of very heavily armed infantry. It is a highly dangerous, downright stupid, plan. However as a support unit for quick things or as a support group for a larger air raid this makes more sense. Any MV 22's out there?

[dkofos]

12. How many ANTI SHIP missile does Iran have??

How many ships do we have in the gulf??
How many sailors on those ships??

[FogerRox]

13. Would that be the Sunburn cruise missile ?

http://rdanafox.blogspot.com/2007/01/iranian-missile-systems.html

Very dangerous system.

[dkofos]

14. Indeed. That is why I brought it up.

And add to that the Iranian swarm tactic and we could see the half the navy sunk.

[FogerRox]

16. Iran doesnt have too many sunburns..BUT...

but a launch of C-801 and C-802 cruise missiles, along with the sunburns could very likely swamp the point defense of a ship. If one sees 1000 launches, one would have maybe 2 minutes before the sunburns hit. Fighters in the air would have about 45 seconds to lock and fire all missiles, then sea based Harpoons would have to launched, then the phalynx gun has about 30 seconds to get radar lock and fire. check my journals for some good info & links

i wouldn't say 1/2 the navy, but ships can be sunk.......

http://rdanafox.blogspot.com/2007/01/iranian-missile-systems.html

http://rdanafox.blogspot.com/2007/01/modern-iranian-sam-missiles-can-they.html

[formercia]

17. The Shah paid for the development of the Harpoon

The Iranians did get quite a few but how many are still operational is a good question.

[caligirl]

18. As a raiding force MEU13 doesn't have a lot of range.

Since all Nuc facilities in Iran , I think, are farther inland this would require something more than CH46's. They would be looking at an MV22 squadron. If an MV22 sqdrn is in place in the gulf then this guy may have something here. 46's don't have the range needed for this. 22's do. But it would make more since for the MV 22's to be used as a search and rescue force for downed pilots in the event of an air campaign deep inside Iran. The air campaign would come from the AF in the gulf, long range B2's,Naval air assets in the gulf. The raid wouldn't be from amphibious ships offshore, they would be in place off shore for recovery, pilot recovery to support the air campaign. Even then this is a very high risk endeavor and more than a few CO's must be contemplating the first gulf war lessons. If this is real it is extremely risky and that can't be emphasized enough. In that we used amphibious forces as a diversion for greater forces. This plan as we think it is makes the hostage rescue attempt in 1980 look safe, at least they had no idea we were coming then.
However, it may not be real as well. The MEU13 may be moved to the Bon Homme Richard to give the Richard group the operational training opportunities it must meet while out on deployment that it has not been able to accomplish sitting out there waiting off shore.

A raid is a stupid idea, but given The Bush Cheney end game of boosting the price of oil by limiting its supply through the use of military force, or causing market panic by threat of it, this could be very real.

I posted this at the site linked in the original post above.

[TheBaldyMan]

21. the Jul 7th deployment is described as 'regular' by the US Navy

strikes me as more scare-mongering every time a ship is deployed to the Persian Gulf, if that is where it's headed.

I don't want to belittle Capt. Schoerke's naval expertise but I have to differ with him on this matter.

[Babsbrain]

23. I understand that SERE training is NOT given to troops going to Iraq.

Anyone have information on that? SERE training is heavy duty training for those captured in enemy territory.