The US Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise (Reuters/Aladin Abdel Naby
Remove The Carriers From the Persian Gulf -- Michael Rubin, Commentary
Several months ago, I asked a retired admiral what sign the United States could give that its patience had truly worn thin with Iran. “Remove the carriers from the Persian Gulf,” he responded. At first, that struck me as dumb: The Iranians would depict the American withdrawal as another sign that the United States was weak and in retreat. “Don’t worry,” he assured me. “Any Revolutionary Guardsmen worth his weight would understand.”
The Persian Gulf is shallow and the international shipping lanes relatively narrow. The Iranian navy has long drilled swarming American vessels with small boats. Even if Iran can’t sink an aircraft carrier, if it manages even to disable one, it will receive a huge propaganda boost. If the Pentagon kept its carriers outside the Persian Gulf in the deeper and open waters of the Sea of Oman, however, they would retain the same strike capabilities but could maintain greater maneuverability and remain outside the reach of the Iranian navy
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My Comment: I concur with this analysis .... it is also one of my red flags that tells me if the U.S. is becoming serious on striking Iran.
As to what are my other red flags ....
(1) B-2 Bombers stationed at Diego Garcia in great numbers.
(2) 3 (maybe 4) carrier strike groups near Iran
(3) U.S. squadrons stationed in greater numbers among our Gulf allies.
(4) Enhanced security at U.S. installations in Afghanistan.
(4) Positioning additional assets in Europe and Afghanistan
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