Spanning(en) rond Iran

[Ace1]

US unveils anti-mine operation near Gulf

The United States and about 20 other nations will hold a major anti-mine operation near the Gulf in September, the Pentagon said Tuesday, after Iran threatened it could block oil shipments.
The maneuvers, including a symposium on mine countermeasures, will be held between September 16 to 27, Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
"It's a defensive exercise aimed at preserving freedom of navigation in international waterways in the Middle East," Little said.
The United States has deployed the USS Ponce to serve as logistical backup in the anti-mine effort.
It has doubled to eight the number of minesweepers in the Gulf and sent in four MH-53 Sea Stallion anti-mine choppers as well as underwater drones.
"This is not an exercise that's aimed to deliver a message to Iran," Little said. "This is an exercise that's designed to, within this multinational forum, increase our capabilities and cooperation."
Washington has warned Tehran not to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which the Islamic republic has threatened to do if international sanctions against its nuclear program begin to bite.
The Pentagon is also building a missile defense radar station at a covert location in Qatar, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The site will be part of a system intended to defend the interests of the United States and its regional allies against Iranian rockets, unnamed US officials told the newspaper.
A similar radar has existed on Mount Keren in the Negev Desert since 2008 and another is installed in Turkey as part of NATO's missile defense shield.

http://www.defencetalk.com/us-unveils-anti-mine-operation-near-gulf-43792/#ixzz210HaMHVU


Read more: http://www.defencetalk.com/us-unveils-anti-mine-operation-near-gulf-43792/#ixzz210HWIXys

[KapiteinRob]

Nog een wat meer steelse presentie in de regio?

Staat er niet ergens (nog) een Hercules op Mirage?

[Lex]

Het zou zo kunnen zijn dat NL meedoet met een of meedere duikteams van de DDG. Ze hebben vorig jaar  tenslotte nog deelgenomen aan RIMPAC.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

LPD lost LCF af, dus die situatie duurt maar heel kort.

Oké,

Nog een wat meer steelse presentie in de regio?

[KapiteinRob]

LPD lost LCF af, dus die situatie duurt maar heel kort.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Het is "niet zo ver" van de piratenarea naar de wateren bij Iran. Zolang we geen OPV's sturen valt er altijd wel iets bij te dragen. Als we dat al zouden willen....

Precies en volgens mij heeft NL de aankomende periode zijn meest indrukwekkende presentie sinds jaren in die regio (LPD en LCF) en  ik heb geen zicht op SSK bewegingen.

[KapiteinRob]

Het is "niet zo ver" van de piratenarea naar de wateren bij Iran. Zolang we geen OPV's sturen valt er altijd wel iets bij te dragen. Als we dat al zouden willen....

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Moet dat dan?

Pesoonlijk denk ik de de regio vol ligt met materiaal, wat mij betreft zou de beste NL bijdrage een Sub zijn.

[onderofficier]

Zou Nederland ook van de partij zijn?

Moet dat dan?

[Tanker]

We hebben F-16's die foto's kunnen maken of een mijnenjager die op mijnen kan jagen 
Dat is onze bijdrage zouden onze politici zeggen....

[Jah]

Zou Nederland ook van de partij zijn?

Wat denk je zelf?

Redelijk onwaarschijnlijk, maar sluit het niet uit.

[KapiteinRob]

Zou Nederland ook van de partij zijn?

Wat denk je zelf?

[Jah]

Pentagon: 20 nations plan exercise in Mideast

Zou Nederland ook van de partij zijn?

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

U.S To Build Missile Defense Radar Station In Qatar To Counter Iranian Missiles

Tue, Jul 17, 2012 11:46 CET

      The U.S. is setting up missile radar battery in the Middle East to counter the threat posed by Iran as it continues testing long range ballistic missiles.

      Earlier this month, Iran tested a surface-to-surface missile which successfully hit their targets. The so-called Shahab-3 missile is capable of reaching Israel and southern Europe. The missiles are also capable of hitting U.S. bases in the region.

      In an effort to protect U.S interests and allies against Iranian rockets, the Pentagon has chosen a secret site in Qatar to build a missile-defense radar station and is organizing its biggest-ever minesweeping exercises in the Persian Gulf.

      The new radar base will house a powerful AN/TPY-2 radar, also known as X-Band radar, and supplement two similar arrays already in place in Israel's Negev Desert and in central Turkey. In turn, the radar installations are being linked to missile-interceptor batteries throughout the region and to U.S. ships with high-altitude interceptor rockets.

      Forming an arc, the three radar sites together can detect missile launches from northern, western and southern Iran enabling U.S. officials and allied militaries to track missiles launched from deep inside Iran.

      U.S officials believe Iran could have a ballistic missile as early as 2015 that could threaten the U.S. Qatar was chosen to host the new radar site because it is home to the largest U.S. military air base with more than 8,000 troops stationed there.

      According to the Pentagon, it will cost $12.2 million to construct a pad for the radar, roads, barracks and security measures at the Qatar site.

      The move comes after months of futile negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program although Tehran disputes claims of building nuclear weapons.

      Although the U.S officials say the radar site and upcoming naval exercises are defensive in nature, the move could be reflected as provocative to Iran.

      According to reports, the U.S. moves are intended to address the two Iranian offensive capabilities Pentagon planners most worry about: Tehran's arsenal of ballistic missiles and its threat to shut down the oil-shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz by mining them.

      Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced on Monday that it is sending an aircraft carrier to the Middle East several months early to ensure two carriers are present in the region at all times.

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defensenews.jsp?id=7206&h=U.S%20To%20Build%20Missile%20Defense%20Radar%20Station%20In%20Qatar%20To%20Counter%20Iranian%20Missiles

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Pentagon: 20 nations plan exercise in Mideast

Posted: Jul 17, 2012 By PAULINE JELINEK

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a move to bolster military strength against Iran, 20 nations will stage an anti-mining exercise in Mideast waterways.

Defense Department press Secretary George Little said the large minesweeping exercise Sept. 16-27 is a defensive drill and is "not ... aimed to deliver a message to Iran."

But Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, the route for one-fifth of the world's oil, in retaliation for international sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program.

The upcoming exercise will focus on "a hypothetical threat from an extremist organization to mine the international strategic waterways of the Middle East, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf, although exercise activities will not extend into the Strait of Hormuz," U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

"This is a defensive exercise aimed at preserving freedom of navigation in the international waterways of the Middle East and aimed at promoting regional stability," Little told Pentagon reporters on Tuesday.

Word of the exercise follows Monday's announcement that a second aircraft carrier will be sent to the region in September - several months earlier than planned - to ensure there will be two carriers in the region through early next year. The Pentagon also recently doubled the number of minesweepers in the region. And it sent the USS Ponce, an amphibious transport dock recently retrofitted to become what is known as an afloat forward staging base.

The buildup comes amid a stalemate in talks over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes and other nations fear is to develop a nuclear weapon.

The exercise will practice mine countermeasures in multiple waterways. It will demonstrate "the international community's ability to work together to ensure free and secure trade," said Gen. James Mattis, commander for the region.

"Of the approximately 40 bilateral and multilateral exercises we'll conduct this year, this exercise also represents the extensive cooperation we enjoy with our international partners - both in and outside the region - with mutual economic and security interest," Mattis said.

Officials declined to name the other nations participating, saying they should identify themselves.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.