DoD on Additional Forces to U.S. Central Command

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by marsavian » 11 May 2019, 10:06

https://dod.defense.gov/News/News-Relea ... ntral-com/

The Acting Secretary of Defense has approved the movement of USS Arlington (LPD-24) and a Patriot battery to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) as part of the command’s original request for forces from earlier this week.

These assets will join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a U.S. Air Force bomber task force [B-52 to Qatar] in the Middle East region in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against U.S. forces and our interests.

The Department of Defense continues to closely monitor the activities of the Iranian regime, their military and proxies. Due to operational security, we will not discuss timelines or location of forces.

The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we are postured and ready to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region.

USS Arlington is a San Antonio-class ship that transports U.S. Marines, amphibious vehicles, conventional landing craft and rotary aircraft with the capability to support amphibious assault, special operations, or expeditionary warfare missions.

USS Arlington also provides a high quality command and control capability and improved interoperability with our allies and partners in the region.

A Patriot battery is a long-range, all-weather air defense system to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft.


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by marsavian » 11 May 2019, 10:15

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/10/poli ... index.html

CNN has reported that intelligence [via Mossad] has shown that Iran is likely moving short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles aboard boats in the Persian Gulf. The US military believes that cruise missiles could be launched from the small Iranian boats, which are known as dhows. Officials have said those boats are IRGC naval assets, not regular Iranian navy boats.


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by marsavian » 11 May 2019, 10:42

Fully Armed F-15Cs Have Arrived In The Middle East Amid Accusations Of Iranian Threats

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/2 ... an-threats

The U.S. Air Force has deployed a contingent of F-15C Eagle fighter jets to the Middle East, sending them on their way carrying live missiles. This follows the arrival of four B-52H Stratofortress bombers and the early appearance in the Persian Gulf of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and her strike group, all ostensibly in response to still largely unclarified threats to American forces in the region from Iran and its proxies.


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by mixelflick » 12 May 2019, 14:23

Something's up. It's not often you see F-15's deployed with live ordnance.

I hope it doesn't come to this, but the possible aircraft/aircrew match ups are for sure interesting. Upgraded Iranian F-14's with the Fakhour 90 missile (Phoenix clone) vs F-15C's with AIM-120C's. F-14's vs. US Navy Super Hornets. And if the reports here are true of Iranian boats getting ship to ship missiles.... I suppose we'll find out how good the SM-6, Phalanx CIWS really is.

Iran would be insane to provoke the firepower we're amassing, but it didn't stop Saddam. Surprised I haven't seen F-22's in theater, but then again they'd probably be overkill. Still, state of the art F-22's vs. 40 year old F-14's would be something. I'd never under-estimate the Iranians, but such a match up would allow the F-22 to display its air to air prowess. Something I think our political leaders need to see, in order to understand how short-sighted their decision was to end production at a meager 187 airframes...


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by marsavian » 12 May 2019, 17:08

Don't forget the F-35 now in UAE too


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by wrightwing » 12 May 2019, 18:09

mixelflick wrote:Something's up. It's not often you see F-15's deployed with live ordnance.

I hope it doesn't come to this, but the possible aircraft/aircrew match ups are for sure interesting. Upgraded Iranian F-14's with the Fakhour 90 missile (Phoenix clone) vs F-15C's with AIM-120C's. F-14's vs. US Navy Super Hornets. And if the reports here are true of Iranian boats getting ship to ship missiles.... I suppose we'll find out how good the SM-6, Phalanx CIWS really is.

Iran would be insane to provoke the firepower we're amassing, but it didn't stop Saddam. Surprised I haven't seen F-22's in theater, but then again they'd probably be overkill. Still, state of the art F-22's vs. 40 year old F-14's would be something. I'd never under-estimate the Iranians, but such a match up would allow the F-22 to display its air to air prowess. Something I think our political leaders need to see, in order to understand how short-sighted their decision was to end production at a meager 187 airframes...


If the Iranians decided to try their hand vs the USAF/USN, that would be the end of airworthy F-14s. They'd all be shot down or destroyed on the ground. As for radar/missile match ups, the F-14s are outclassed by the APG-63(v)3/APG-79/81, and AIM-120C7/D that the F-15/18/35s would be carrying.
As for defensive missiles, it'd be ESSM/Sea RAM/RAM/CIWS dealing with missiles from patrol boats, while SM2/6 handled any aerial/ballistic threats, backing up the land based Patriots.


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by marsavian » 16 May 2019, 19:54

Iran tells Middle East militias: prepare for proxy war

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... -proxy-war

Iran’s most prominent military leader has recently met Iraqi militias in Baghdad and told them to “prepare for proxy war”, the Guardian has learned.

Two senior intelligence sources said that Qassem Suleimani, leader of Iran’s powerful Quds force, summoned the militias under Tehran’s influence three weeks ago, amid a heightened state of tension in the region. The move to mobilise Iran’s regional allies is understood to have triggered fears in the US that Washington’s interests in the Middle East are facing a pressing threat. The UK raised its threat levels for British troops in Iraq on Thursday.

While Suleimani has met regularly with leaders of Iraq’s myriad Shia groups over the past five years, the nature and tone of this gathering was different. “It wasn’t quite a call to arms, but it wasn’t far off,” one source said.


The meeting has led to a frenzy of diplomatic activity between US, British and Iraqi officials who are trying to banish the spectre of clashes between Tehran and Washington and who now fear that Iraq could become an arena for conflict.

On Sunday, four ships – two of them Saudi oil tankers – were reportedly sabotaged off the UAE coast. The following day, drones launched by Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen attacked two Saudi pipelines.Saudi state media on Thursday called for “surgical strikes” against Iranian targets in response and its senior officials have told Washington that they expect it to act in its interests.

Adding to concerns is a belief that a convoy of Iranian-supplied missiles was last week successfully transported across Iraq’s Anbar province into Syria, where it was transferred safely to Damascus, regional diplomats told the Guardian. The transfer managed to evade US and Israeli intelligence, despite the latter’s interdiction of dozens of alleged missile deliveries in the past three years that have been flown into various Syrian airbases via an airbridge ...


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by marsavian » 16 May 2019, 20:04



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by marsavian » 15 Sep 2019, 02:20

Pompeo: Iran behind attack on Saudi oil facilities that will reduce kingdom's output by over a half

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... men-houthi

Interesting claim ...

Since the start of the war, Houthi rebels have been using drones in combat. The first appeared to be hobby-kit-style. Later, versions nearly identical to Iranian models turned up. Iran denies supplying the Houthis with weapons, although the United Nations, the West and Gulf Arab nations say it does so.

Rebels have flown drones into the radar arrays of Saudi Arabia’s Patriot missile batteries, according to Conflict Armament Research, disabling them and allowing the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles into the kingdom unchallenged.

The Houthis launched drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s crucial East-West Pipeline in May. In August, Houthi drones struck Saudi Arabia’s Shaybah oil field.


Iran is asking to receive the Iraq treatment if this carries on, Lindsey Graham already beating the war drums advocating retaliatory strikes on Iranian refineries.

https://mobile.twitter.com/LindseyGraha ... 6530717698


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by marsavian » 26 Sep 2019, 21:17

DOD Statement on Deployment of U.S. Forces and Equipment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
SEPT. 26, 2019

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releas ... -of-saudi/

Attributed to Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman:

"In light of recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and at their invitation, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper announced today that the U.S. would deploy the following equipment to the kingdom:

One Patriot Battery

Four Sentinel RADARs

Approximately 200 support personnel

This deployment will augment the kingdom's air and missile defense of critical military and civilian infrastructure. This deployment augments an already significant presence of U.S. forces in the region.

The Secretary has also approved putting additional forces on Prepare To Deploy Orders (PTDO). While no decision has been made to deploy these additional forces, they will maintain a heightened state of readiness.

These forces include:

Two Patriot Batteries

One Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD)

It is important to note these steps are a demonstration of our commitment to regional partners, and the security and stability in the Middle East. This follows the Secretary and Chairman's extensive outreach to partners in the region, and around the globe.

Other countries have called out Iranian misadventures in the region, and we look for them to contribute assets in an international effort to reinforce Saudi Arabia's defense."



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