Obama starts massive US Air-Sea-Marine build-up opposite Iran

clipped from www.debka.com debkafile's military sources report a decision by the Obama administration to boost US military strength in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf regions in the short term with an extra air and naval strike forces and 6,000 Marine and sea combatants. Carrier Strike Group 10, headed by the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, sails out of the US Navy base at Norfolk, Virginia Friday, May 21. On arrival, it will raise the number of US carriers off Iranian shores to two. Up until now, President Barack Obama kept just one aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Iran, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Arabian Sea, in pursuit of his policy of diplomatic engagement with Tehran. It is also the first time that Obama, since taking office 14 months ago, is sending military reinforcements to the Persian Gulf. Our military sources have learned that the USS Truman is just the first element of the new buildup of US resources around Iran. It will take place over the next three months

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SKorean navy ship sinks in waters near NKorea

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clipped from news.yahoo.com SEOUL, South Korea – Military officials say a South Korean navy ship has sunk off an island not far from North Korea. An official with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul said early Saturday that the ship sank some four hours after it began taking on water. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with department policy. The official said at least 58 of the 104 crew members have been rescued. There was no immediate confirmation of casualties. A rescue operation was still under way. SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's military scrambled naval vessels to the western waters near the disputed maritime border with rival North Korea late Friday after an explosion ripped a hole in the bottom of a military ship, officials and news reports said. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported an explosion in the rear of the 1,200-ton ship and said the military had not ruled out the possibility of an attack by North Korea

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Warships blasting Somali pirates out of water

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clipped from www.usatoday.com NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — An international fleet of warships is attacking and destroying Somali pirate vessels closer to the shores of East Africa and the new strategy, combined with more aggressive confrontations further out to sea, has dealt the brigands a setback, officials and experts said Thursday. The new tactics by the European Union naval force comes after Spain— which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, and whose fishing vessels are frequent pirate targets — encouraged more aggressive pursuit of pirates and the coalition obtained more aircraft and other military assets, said Rear Adm. Peter Hudson, the force commander. The EU Naval Force attacked 12 groups of pirate vessels, which normally includes several skiffs and a mother vessel, this month, more than last year. Half of those attacks were on the high seas and half close to shore, reflecting the new strategy to intercept pirates before they reach deep water and international shipping lanes.

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Declining U.S. Navy facing Chinese challenge

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Fleet's status creates door of vulnerability to other powers, terrorists

clipped from www.wnd.com Fleet's status creates door of vulnerability to other powers, terrorists Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports. A growing Chinese fleet could keep the declining U.S. Navy out of the Western Pacific, according to an expert cited in a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The U.S. also could be faced with new military challenges around the globe because of the projection of power a growing Chinese navy would present. Yet, the U.S. Navy has cut back the number and type of ships to the level it was prior to the Reagan administration "The consequences of a much-diminished U.S. fleet are complemented by the American public's ignorance of them, the slow yet steady pace of naval deterioration

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N.Korean Cargo Ship Hijacked in Gulf of Aden

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clipped from english.chosun.com N.Korean Cargo Ship Hijacked in Gulf of Aden A North Korean cargo ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden just south of the Yemeni coast. The European Union Naval Force says pirates on Wednesday seized the 4,800-ton ship MV Rim owned by Libya's White Sea Shipping and that the vessel is now being taken to the Somali Basin. So far there have been no reports on the nationalities or the number of crew members aboard the ship. Anti-piracy forces are said to be closely monitoring the situation.

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US, UN send more troops to help in Haiti - Yahoo! News

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• US, UN send more troops to help in Haiti - Yahoo! News

  "PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Scores of U.S. troops landed on the lawn of Haiti's shattered presidential palace Tuesday to the cheers of quake victims and the U.N. said it would throw more police and soldiers into the sluggish global effort to aid the devastated country. The U.N. forces are aimed at controlling outbursts of looting and violence that have slowed distribution of supplies, leaving many Haitians still without help a week after the magnitude-7.0 quake killed an estimated 200,000 people. Looters were rampaging through a part of downtown Port-au-Prince even as the Security Council was voting to add 2,000 troops to the 7,000 military peacekeepers already in the country as well as 1,500 more police to the 2,100-strong international force. Haitians jammed the fence of the palace grounds to gawk and cheer as U.S. troops emerged from six Navy helicopters. "We are happy that they are coming, because we have so many problems," said Fede Felissaint, a hairdresser. Given the circumstances, he did not even mind the troops taking up positions at the presidential palace. "If they want, they can stay longer than in 1915," he said, a reference to the start of a 19-year U.S. military presence in Haiti — something U.S. officials have repeatedly insisted they have no intention of repeating. A full week after the quake, the capital's port remains blocked and the city's lone airport remains a chokepoint that the U.S. military is trying to expand. Tens of thousands of people sleep in the streets or under plastic sheets in makeshift camps. Relief workers say they fear visiting some parts of the city."

  tags: haiti, Global, US, UN, Police, force, Looters, looting, Law, Military, Peace, Government

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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China may build Middle East naval base - Telegraph

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• China may build Middle East naval base - Telegraph

  "n a sign of the growing confidence of the Chinese military, Admiral Yin Zhuo said that the country may set up a base in the Gulf of Aden in order to support missions against Somali pirates. Since the end of last year, China has sent four flotillas to the Middle East in order to take part in anti-piracy operations together with US, European, Indian and Russian warships. The latest mission, which departed from China in October, involved two missile frigates. Mr Yin said a permanent base in the region would help supply Chinese ships. "We are not saying we need our navy everywhere in order to fulfil our international commitments," he said, cautiously. "We are saying to fulfil our international commitments, we need to strengthen our supply capacity." His words, which came just a few days after China rescued 25 sailors from Somali pirates, were posted in an interview on the Defence ministry website. China is reported to have paid a USD4 million (Pounds2.5 million) ransom to free the De Xin Hai, a coal carrier. Mr Yin, who is a senior researcher at the navy's Equipment Research centre, pointed out that the first Chinese ships in the Gulf of Aden spent 124 days at sea without docking, a logistical challenge. However, Chinese ships have since been permitted to dock at a French base. "If China establishes a similar long-term supply base, I believe that the nations in the region and the other countries involved with the (anti-pirate) escorts would understand," he said. "I think a permanent, stable base would be good for our operations.""

  tags: China, Military, Base, Middle, East, End, Times, War, Soldier, Navy, Global, Warnings

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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