IWO JIMA STRIKE GROUP JOINS 2 CARRIER GROUPS OFF IRAN

Follow the Oil. You're Looking At 100 Billion Barrels

The Iwo Jima Strike Group includes the USS Cole Guided Missile Destroyer--yes THAT USS Cole---the amphibious transport dock USS Nashville, the guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley, the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, the attack submarine USS Albuquerque, and the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island.

The Enterprise and Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups are already in the Gulf and there is a planned "Naval Interdiction" exercise with the Brits and Canadians and Arab allies on Halloween, Oct. 31.

Bush's final stupid idea may be to cook up an incident with Iran or say he is preventing an Israeli strike and go ahead and bomb, raid Iran as Sy Hersch has reported went into operational mode 5 weeks ago.

If Bush can have US ships attacked by Iranian missiles just before the election, a short-lived Rally Round the Flag effect may head off enough Democratic challengers to barely escape losing the House and the Senate.

I don't see what a President without a conscience has to lose!

Might as well give it the old college try, no? At the least it gives Bushco the excuse to bomb the oil refineries and sabotage the oil fields and make oil prices soar.

So even if they lose the election, Bushco achieved it's two main goals in the Mideast: 1) cut Iraqi oil production in half from Saddam's reign and 2) cut Iranian oil production in half or more. Without meeting these 2 goals oil could drop to $20 a barrel!

Bushco's Saudi masters would lose trillions of dollars over the coming years. Now you know why we went to war in Iraq.

And why we are about to go to war in Iran.

Remember to recommend to head off this potential Halloween Surprise. Trick or Treat?

...and continue a major attack on Iran

including secret Special Forces and CIA deployments.

The really ominous sign is that they brought many US Coast Guard Search and Rescur Vessels with them, indicating they will not be attacking land-locked countries like Iraq or Afghanistan.

Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group joins US build-up opposite Iran
Submitted by Gordon on Fri, 10/20/2006 - 6:07pm. :: Anti War LINKS

Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group steamed into the Persian Gulf to join the US naval, air and marine concentration piling up opposite Iran's shores. It consists of the amphibious transport dock USS Nashville, the guided-missile destroyers USS Cole and USS Bulkeley, the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, the attack submarine USS Albuquerque, and the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island.

The Iwo Jima group is now cruising 60 km from Kuwait off Iran's coast. As DEBKAfile and DEBKA-Net-Weekly reported exclusively two weeks ago, three US naval task forces will be in place opposite Iran in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea by October 21. The other two are the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and the USS Enterprise Strike Group.

http://www.neworleansvfp.org/node/3636

..it's about keeping it IN THE GROUND!!! k and R

Keeping the Price of Oil High enough, so that further exploration outside the Mideast could be profitable!!!

Fucking fascists!

you put it into words.

The more I read, the more this sounds like an invasion force.

http://www.cusnc.navy.mil/articles/2006/180.html

and he was in Italy over the weekend. They were doing some maneuvers in the Med apparently.

They'll outchop through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea, and be in the Arabian Sea by the end of the month.

Operation Iranian Liberation. Oops, that one was too obvious in that other war. You know, the one that's behind us, sort of, but not really. The one that isn't in civil war right now.

Operation Whaddayougonnadoaboutit.


They make money on every bomb dropped. Every bullet fired. And every gallon that stays in the ground.

Operation Disruption.

We know one thing, it must happen before November 7th.

Here we go

to everyone if they do this that this is an October surprise?

And if 2 more carrier groups show up.

And those docking craft are a liability short of a landing.

In fact 3 Destroyers is a very short squadron, 9 is a full squadron. This needs to be watched very carefully.

There about 30 Los Angeles class attack subs that are equipped with 12 vertical launch tubes for Tomahawk cruise missle. With this group I count only 3 subs.

{b]What would be alarming is another 2 carrier groups, & 4,5,6 or more subs. The key here is too keep an eye on the other carriers and subs to see if they show up in the Arabian sea, anytime soon. Short of a buildup as I have described, this is really kind of normal looking.



From my previous compilation:

15th & 24th Marine Expeditionary Units on the move

Strike group sails from San Diego Sept. 13th for the Western Pacific. Includes 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit
ESG 5 is comprised of Howard, USS Boxer (LHD 4), USS Dubuque (LPD 8), USS Comstock (LSD 45), USS Benfold (DDG 65) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52). The strike group also includes Amphibious Squadron 5, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WHEC 726) and Canadian Frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341).
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,114365,00.html


Marines hit the beaches of Kuwait for training
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, October 2, 2006
Marines and sailors deployed with the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group came ashore on a Kuwait beach Sunday to begin about a month of training in the country. The group includes Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and sailors from Beach Master Unit 2 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Little Creek, Va. The strike group is on a six-month deployment.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=40467



You see... another carrier group should be place by the 21st. WE are talking about more than a few Tomahawks.

USS Eisenhower to deploy to Mideast

The aircraft carrier battle group is scheduled to sail Tuesday from Norfolk to relieve the USS Enterprise. <snip> The Enterprise left Norfolk on May 2, along with the cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, the destroyer USS McFaul, the frigate USS Nicholas and the attack submarine USS Alexandria.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-38837sy0sep28,0,6555714.story?coll=dp-news-local-final

The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group also includes
-guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio-CG-68 :
Armament: MK26 missile launcher (CG 47 thru CG 51) Standard Missile (MR) or MK41 vertical launching system (CG 52 thru CG 73) Standard Missile (MR); Vertical Launch ASROC (VLA) Missile; Tomahawk Cruise Missile; Six MK-46 torpedoes (from two triple mounts); Two MK 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns; Two Phalanx close-in-weapons systems.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=800&ct=4

-guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage-DDG-61
Armament: two MK 41 VLS for Standard missiles, Tomahawk; Harpoon missile launchers, one Mk 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight gun, two Phalanx CIWS, Mk 46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts)
http://www.navysite.de/dd/ddg61.htm

ARLEIGH BURKE - class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Mason-DDG-87
Armament 1 x 5"/62 RF, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM), 90 VLS Cells,
2 SH-60B helicopters, 8 Harpoon Missiles, 6 x 12.75" TT.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/01087.htm

Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Newport News-SSN-750
Carries Tomahawks:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/ssn-750.htm

The Enterprise carrier group has been in the area for a while:

Enterprise, the flagship of Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12, and Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, along with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, will conduct maritime security operations and fly missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as part of U.S. Fifth Fleet while in the region.

http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5355276&nav=ZolHbyvj

The Enterprise Carrier Strike Group also includes:

-guided missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf-CG-55
Armament: MK26 missile launcher (CG 47 thru CG 51) Standard Missile (MR) or MK41 vertical launching system (CG 52 thru CG 73) Standard Missile (MR); Vertical Launch ASROC (VLA) Missile; Tomahawk Cruise Missile; Six MK-46 torpedoes (from two triple mounts); Two MK 45 5-inch/54 caliber lightweight guns; Two Phalanx close-in-weapons systems.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=800&ct=4

ARLEIGH BURKE - class Guided Missile Destroyer USS McFaul-DDG-74
Armament 1 x 5"/62 RF, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM), 90 VLS Cells,
2 SH-60B helicopters, 8 Harpoon Missiles, 6 x 12.75" TT.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/01087.htm

the frigate USS Nicholas-FFG-47
Armament: one Mk 75 76mm/62 caliber rapid firing gun, MK 32 ASW torpedo tubes (two triple mounts), one Phalanx CIWS
http://navysite.de/ffg/FFG47.HTM

Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Alexandria-SSN-757
Any boat of this class may launch a Tomahawk cruise missile from its horizontal torpedo tubes. The last 31 boats of this class also have 12 vertical launch tubes specifically for the purpose of launching Tomahawks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_class_submarine


The Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) is a short range missile intended to provide self-protection for surface ships.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/rim-162.htm

The Harpoon missile provides the Navy and the Air Force with a common missile for air, ship, and submarine launches. The weapon system uses mid-course guidance with a radar seeker to attack surface ships.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/agm-84.htm

Tactical Tomahawk Penetrator Variant missile
On 27 May 1999 Raytheon was awarded a $25,829,379 undefinitized cost-plus-incentive-fee/cost-plus-fixed-fee, ceiling amount contract for the modification of the Tactical Tomahawk missile to the Tactical Tomahawk Penetrator Variant configuration as part of the Second Counter-Proliferation Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration. The Tactical Tomahawk missile will be modified to incorporate the government-furnished penetrator warhead and the hard-target smart fuze. Four Tactical Tomahawk Penetrator Variant missiles will be assembled to conduct the advanced concept technology demonstration testing. Work will be performed in Tucson AZ and is expected to be completed by March 2003.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/smart/bgm-109.htm

There is some info being copied all over the net, that the Eisenhower (CVN 69) is a
nuclear battleship, which I have never heard of, ever. As you can see from this picture
posted @ navy times, the Eisenhower is indeed a carrier.



Families and friends watch on the pier at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., as the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) gets underway on Tuesday. — Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Glassburn / U.S. Navy

NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, Va. — The Norfolk-based aircraft carrier George Washington entered the dry dock at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va., on Sept. 29, the first step in a $300 million availability that will prepare the ship to replace the Yokosuka, Japan-based Kitty Hawk in 2008.

http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2146364.php



USS George WashingtonCVN-73

Rear Adm. (lower half) Scott H. Swift has been assigned to the post at U.S. Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command, in Bahrain. Swift commanded Carrier Air Wing 14, which is assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=40502


.. as deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command, Bahrain. Swift is currently serving as deputy executive officer for Naval Aviation and Tactical Air Systems, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, D.C.

http://www.defenselink.mil/Releases/Release.aspx?Releas...

SOooo.....Adm. Swift worked for Sec Def Rumsfeld.

I now feel a little stronger about the move to Swift @ CenT COm in Bahrain. In Essense it seems Rumsfeld has put one of his men into an important position, after a promotion earlier this year. And we all know the kind of officers that get promoted under SEC dEF Rummy.

On edit:

Adm. Swift is also President of the TAILHOOK officers ASsociation:


PRESIDENT CAPT SCOTT H. SWIFT,USN
Source: SDSU, AVROC 1979
Designation: Naval Aviator, 1980
Assignments: VA-94 (Nugget), VA-122 (Instructor), CVW-11 (CAG LSO), VA-97 (Department Head), Naval War College (Honors in Athletics), Strike Fighter Weapons School, Pacific (CO), VFA-97 (CO), OPNAV (Hornet Requirements), VFA-122 (CO), CVW-14 (CAG)
Hours/Traps: 4,000+/1,000+
Residence: Falls Church, Va.
Present Empl: Office of Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics/Air Warfare)
Other: 1989 U.S. Pacific Fleet Landing Signal Officer of the Year, 1992 Commander Michael G. Hoff, U.S. Pacific Fleet Attack Aviator of the Year, Participated in Operation Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom



http://www.tailhook.org/Officers.html


What may be important about this promotion is that it puts an expert in carrier ops, on the ground @ COmCent. If I was about to ramp up carrier air ops, I would want an experienced air ops guy on the ground. That would be Admiral Swift.




Iranian Nuke sites from:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/nuke-fac.htm

Bunker Busters

This is the the GBU-28 or the BLU-113, is 19 feet (5.8 meters). It weighs about 4,400 pounds. The GBU-27/GBU-24 (aka BLU-109) is nearly identical to the GBU-28, except that it weighs only 2,000 pounds (900 kg). It is less expensive to manufacture, and a bomber can carry more of them on each mission.



Air-to-air view of GBU-28 hard target bomb on an F-15E Eagle.




The MOAB weapon is based upon the same principle as the BLU-82 “Daisy Cutter”, except that it is larger and has a guidance system. The weapon is expected to produce a tremendous explosion that would be effective against hard-target entrances. From :

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/moab.htm

It is titled "Nightmare" and is about a nightmare scenario for the Navy should the White House decide to attack Iran. This audio article lays out some very important points with respect to new Russian made anti ship missiles that our Navy doesn't have any defenses and geo-political fall-out should the White House attack Iran.

Its a very disturbing audio file and one which I hope doesn't happen.


http://wfmu.org/listen.ram?show=14129

It's getting late and I'm going to bed soon. Thanks for the audio link!

WWIII is not far off

All part of the Plan to take over the world

:kick:

:kick:

http://www.neworleansvfp.org/node/3636

on edit : it's a blog post based on Debka partly, unsourced for the rest..

damn.