Operation
Brimstone
ended only
one week
ago. This
was the
joint
US/UK/French
naval war
games in the
Atlantic
Ocean
preparing
for a naval
blockade of
Iran and the
likely
resulting
war in the
Persian Gulf
area. The
massive war
games
included a
US Navy
supercarrier
battle
group, an US
Navy
expeditionary
carrier
battle
group, a
Royal Navy
carrier
battle
group, a
French
nuclear
hunter-killer
submarine
plus a large
number of US
Navy
cruisers,
destroyers
and frigates
playing the
"enemy
force".
The lead
American
ship in
these war
games, the
USS Theodore
Roosevelt
(CVN71) and
its Carrier
Strike Group
Two (CCSG-2)
are now
headed
towards Iran
along with
the USS
Ronald
Reagon
(CVN76) and
its Carrier
Strike Group
Seven
(CCSG-7)
coming from
Japan.
They are
joining two
existing USN
battle
groups in
the Gulf
area: the
USS Abraham
Lincoln
(CVN72) with
its Carrier
Strike Group
Nine
(CCSG-9);
and the USS
Peleliu
(LHA-5) with
its
expeditionary
strike
group.
Likely also
under way
towards the
Persian Gulf
is the USS
Iwo Jima
(LHD-7) and
its
expeditionary
strike
group, the
UK Royal
Navy HMS Ark
Royal (R07)
carrier
battle
group,
assorted
French naval
assets
including
the nuclear
hunter-killer
submarine
Amethyste
and French
Naval Rafale
fighter jets
on-board the
USS Theodore
Roosevelt.
These ships
took part in
the just
completed
Operation
Brimstone.
The build up
of naval
forces in
the Gulf
will be one
of the
largest
multi-national
naval
armadas
since the
First and
Second Gulf
Wars. The
intent is to
create a US/EU
naval
blockade
(which is an
Act of War
under
international
law) around
Iran (with
supporting
air and land
elements) to
prevent the
shipment of
benzene and
certain
other
refined oil
products
headed to
Iranian
ports. Iran
has limited
domestic oil
refining
capacity and
imports 40%
of its
benzene.
Cutting off
benzene and
other key
products
would
cripple the
Iranian
economy. The
neo-cons are
counting on
such a
blockade
launching a
war with
Iran.
The US Naval
forces being
assembled
include the
following:
Carrier
Strike Group
Nine
USS Abraham
Lincoln
(CVN72)
nuclear
powered
supercarrier
with its
Carrier Air
Wing Two
Destroyer
Squadron
Nine:
USS Mobile
Bay (CG53)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Russell
(DDG59)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Momsen
(DDG92)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Shoup
(DDG86)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Ford
(FFG54)
guided
missile
frigate
USS Ingraham
(FFG61)
guided
missile
frigate
USS Rodney
M. Davis
(FFG60)
guided
missile
frigate
USS Curts
(FFG38)
guided
missile
frigate
Plus one or
more nuclear
hunter-killer
submarines
Peleliu
Expeditionary
Strike Group
USS Peleliu
(LHA-5) a
Tarawa-class
amphibious
assault
carrier
USS Pearl
Harbor
(LSD52)
assult ship
USS Dubuque
(LPD8)
assult
ship/landing
dock
USS Cape St.
George
(CG71)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Halsey
(DDG97)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Benfold
(DDG65)
guided
missile
destroyer
Carrier
Strike Group
Two
USS Theodore
Roosevelt
(DVN71)
nuclear
powered
supercarrier
with its
Carrier Air
Wing Eight
Destroyer
Squadron 22
USS Monterey
(CG61)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Mason
(DDG87)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Nitze
(DDG94)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS
Sullivans
(DDG68)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS
Springfield
(SSN761)
nuclear
powered
hunter-killer
submarine
IWO ESG ~
Iwo Jima
Expeditionary
Strike Group
USS Iwo Jima
(LHD7)
amphibious
assault
carrier
with its
Amphibious
Squadron
Four
and with its
26th Marine
Expeditionary
Unit
USS San
Antonio
(LPD17)
assault ship
USS Velia
Gulf (CG72)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Ramage
(DDG61)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Carter
Hall (LSD50)
assault ship
USS
Roosevelt
(DDG80)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Hartfore
(SSN768)
nuclear
powered
hunter-killer
submarine
Carrier
Strike Group
Seven
USS Ronald
Reagan
(CVN76)
nuclear
powered
supercarrier
with its
Carrier Air
Wing 14
Destroyer
Squadron 7
USS
Chancellorsville
(CG62)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Howard
(DDG83)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Gridley
(DDG101)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Decatur
(DDG73)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Thach
(FFG43)
guided
missile
frigate
USNS Rainier
(T-AOE-7)
fast combat
support ship
Also likely
to join the
battle
armada:
UK Royal
Navy HMS Ark
Royal
Carrier
Strike Group
with
assorted
guided
missile
destroyers
and
frigates,
nuclear
hunter-killer
submarines
and support
ships
French Navy
nuclear
powered
hunter-killer
submarines
(likely the
Amethyste
and perhaps
others),
plus French
Naval Rafale
fighter jets
operating
off of the
USS Theodore
Roosevelt as
the French
Carrier
Charles de
Gaulle is in
dry dock,
and assorted
surface
warships
Various
other US
Navy
warships and
submarines
and support
ships. The
following
USN ships
took part
(as the
"enemy"
forces) in
Operation
Brimstone
and several
may join in:
USS San
Jacinto
(CG56)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Anzio
(CG68)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Normandy
(CG60)
guided
missile
cruiser
USS Carney
(DDG64)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Oscar
Austin
(DDG79)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Winston
S. Churchill
(DDG81)
guided
missile
destroyer
USS Carr
(FFG52)
guided
missile
frigate
The USS Iwo
Jima and USS
Peleliu
Expeditionary
Strike
Groups have
USMC Harrier
jump jets
and an
assortment
of assault
and attack
helicopters.
The
Expeditionary
Strike
Groups have
powerful
USMC
Expeditionary
Units with
amphibious
armor and
ground
forces
trained for
operating in
shallow
waters and
in seizures
of land
assets, such
as Qeshm
Island (a 50
mile long
island off
of Bandar
Abbas in the
Gulf of
Hormuz and
headquarters
of the
Iranian
Islamic
Revolutionary
Guards
Corps).
The large
and very
advanced
nature of
the US Naval
warships is
not only
directed at
Iran. There
is a great
fear that
Russia and
China may
oppose the
naval and
air/land
blockade of
Iran. If
Russian and
perhaps
Chinese
naval
warships
escort
commercial
tankers to
Iran in
violation of
the blockade
it could be
the most
dangerous
at-sea
confrontation
since the
Cuban
Missile
Crisis. The
US and
allied
Navies, by
front
loading a
Naval
blockade
force with
very
powerful
guided
missile
warships and
strike
carriers is
attempting
to have a
force so
powerful
that Russia
and China
will not be
tempted to
mess with.
This is a
most serious
game of
military
brinkmanship
with major
nuclear
armed powers
that have
profound
objections
to the
neo-con
grand
strategy and
to western
control of
all of the
Middle
East's oil
supply.
The Russian
Navy this
spring sent
a major
battle fleet
into the
Mediterranean
headed by
the modern
aircraft
carrier the
Admiral
Kuznetsov
and the
flagship of
its Black
Sea Fleet,
the Guided
Missile
Heavy
Cruiser
Moskva. This
powerful
fleet has at
least 11
surface
ships and
unknown
numbers of
subs and can
use the
Russian
naval
facility at
Syria's
Tartous port
for resupply.
The Admiral
Kuznetsov
carries
approximately
47 warplanes
and 10
helicopters.
The
warplanes
are mostly
the powerful
Su-33, a
naval
version
(with
mid-air
refueling
capability)
of the Su-27
family.
While the
Su-33 is a
very
powerful
warplane it
lacks the
power of the
stealth USAF
F-22.
However, the
Russians
insist that
they have
developed a
plasma based
system that
allows them
to stealth
any aircraft
and a recent
incident
where
Russian
fighters
were able to
appear
unannounced
over a US
Navy carrier
battle group
tends to
confirm
their
claims. The
Su-33 can be
armed with
the 3M82
Moskit
sea-skimming
missile
(NATO code
name SS-N-22
Sunburn) and
the even
more
powerful
P-800 Oniks
(also named
Yakhonts;
NATO code
name SS-N-26
Onyx). Both
missiles are
designed to
kill US Navy
supercarriers
by getting
past the
cruiser/destroyer
screen and
the USN
point-defense
Phalanx
system by
using high
supersonic
speeds and
violent end
maneuvers.
Russian subs
currently
use the
underwater
rocket
VA-111
Shkval
(Squall),
which is
fired from
standard
533mm
torpedo
tubes and
reaches a
speed of
360kph
(230mph)
underwater.
There is no
effective
countermeasures
to this
system and
no western
counterpart.
A strategic
diversion
has been
created for
Russia. The
Republic of
Georgia,
with US
backing, is
actively
preparing
for war on
South
Ossetia. The
South
Ossetia
capital has
been shelled
and a large
Georgian
tank force
has been
heading
towards the
border.
Russia has
stated that
it will not
sit by and
allow the
Georgians to
attack South
Ossetia. The
Russians are
great chess
players and
this game
may not turn
out so well
for the
neo-cons.
UPDATE 8
August 2008
~ War has
broken out
between
Georgia and
South
Ossetia. At
least 10
Russian
troops have
been killed
and 30
wounded and
2 Russian
fighter jets
downed.
American
Marines, a
thousand of
them, have
recently
been in
Georgia
training the
Georgian
military
forces.
Several
European
nations
stopped Bush
and others
from
allowing
Georgia into
NATO. Russia
is moving a
large
military
force with
armor
towards the
area. This
could get
bad, and
remember it
is just a
strategic
diversion....but
one that
could have
horrific
effects.
Link
to story
"Russia
sends forces
into Georgia
rebel
conflict".
FURTHER
UPDATE ~
Russian
military
forces in
active
combat; now
total of
four Russian
fighter jets
reported
downed.
ADDITIONAL
UPDATE ~
Georgia
calls for US
help;
Russian Air
Force bombs
Georgian air
bases.
DEBKA, the
Israeli
strategy and
military
site, states
that Israeli
military
officers are
advising the
Georgian
armed forces
in combat
operations
and that
1,000
Israelis are
in-combat on
the side of
Georgia at
this time.
Kuwait has
activated
its
"Emergency
War Plan" as
it and other
Gulf nations
prepare for
the
likelihood
of a major
regional war
in the
Middle East
involving
weapons of
mass
destruction.
The two-ton
elephant in
the living
room of the
neo-con
strategy is
the advanced
biowar (ABW)
that Iran,
and to a
lessor
extent
Syria, has.
This places
the
motherlands
of the major
neo-con
nations
(America,
France, the
United
Kingdom), as
well as
Israel, in
grave
danger. When
the Soviet
Union fell
the Iranians
hired as
many
out-of-work
former
Soviet
advanced
biowar
experts as
possible. In
the last 15
or so years
they have
helped to
develop a
truly world
class ABW
program
utilizing
recombination
DNA genetic
engineering
technology
to create a
large number
of man made
killer
viruses.
This form of
weapon
system does
not require
high tech
military
delivery
systems. The
viruses are
sub-microscopic
and once
seeded in a
population
use the
population
itself as
vectors.
Seeding can
be done
without
notice in
shopping
malls,
churches,
and other
public
places. The
only real
defense to
an advanced
global
strategic
biowar
attack is to
lock down
the
population
as rapidly
as possible
and let
those
infected die
off.
Unless the
public gets
it act
together and
forces the
neo-cons to
stop the
march to yet
another war
in the
Middle East
we are apt
to see a
truly
horrific
nightmare
unfold in
OUR
COUNTRIES.
Stirling
Do something
about this ~
email this
article to
as many of
your friends
as possible
and post it
on as many
sites as
possible,
demand that
your
political
leaders stop
this
nonsense
before it
kills us
all.
Blog EUROPE
~
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barony title
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The
Earl of
Stirling is
available
for public
speaking
engagements
~
earlofstirling@yahoo.com