Stop the presses: no naval armada has sailed to blockade Iran!
By Fabius Maximus
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August 20, 2008 Summary: For a week rumors about a US armada sailing to the Gulf circulated around the Internet and in Middle Eastern media, despite having almost no supporting evidence. One of the two major sources for the "US fleet sailing to blockade Iran" story now has admitted his error. No word yet from the other (and more high-profile) source, Debkafile (does Debkafile post retractions?) or the blogs which promoted the rumors.
Along with Debkafile, Timothy Alexander ignited the Internet firestorm on 7 August (GOOGLE to see the resulting posts and news stories) with "Massive US Naval Armada Heads For Iran" posted at his blog Europe. On 18 August he posted a long article "Wars and Rumors of War", containing the following retraction (bold emphasis added):
We have a Bush Administration, who with the Brits and French and others, just completed a massive naval war game named "Operation Brimstone" that was announced as a training mission for the blockade of Iran. While two resolutions are pending before Congress (one in the House; the other in the Senate) "demanding" a blockade on Iran. And then the high level leaks that the battle groups were headed to Iran (yes, I know, I was taken in like UPI, DEBKA, and several major and minor news organizations). This was not really the case, but it laid the ground work in preparing the public for the next step. In the meantime the European Union has authorized a blockade in everything but name So we can close this folder and file it under "The Internet can make us dumber." This is evidence of almost total lack of sourcing by blogs, too many of which print rumors without any semblance of research. While these rumors were ignored by the mainstream media, they were passed on by high-profile geopolitical blogs. For example, by M. Simon at Classical Values, to which the Instapundit linked. No retractions yet at those sites (so far as I see). The Internet can be a powerful tool, making us smarter and faster. But only if writers and readers take more care with its contents. Otherwise it can make us dumber. |
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m46542&hd=&size=1&l=e
Keep in mind that this list is two weeks old and a nuclear powered carrier can move a long ways in that time.
U.S. Naval Update Map: Aug. 6, 2008
August 6, 2008 | 2135 GMT
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Tracking U.S. Naval Power
U.S. Military Dominance
The Naval Update Map shows an approximation of the current locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESGs), the keys to U.S. dominance of the world’s oceans. A CSG is centered on an aircraft carrier, which projects U.S. naval and air power and supports a carrier air wing. An ESG is centered on a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a heavily reinforced and mobile battalion of Marines. Each is equipped with a significant offensive strike capability.
The map is updated weekly, based on available open-source information
Carrier Strike Groups
The USS Abraham Lincoln CSG is currently providing air support for security operations in Afghanistan from the northern Arabian Sea.
The USS Kitty Hawk is under way in the Pacific Ocean, where the ship’s weapons department is currently offloading all ammunition before entering port in San Diego.
The USS George Washington is scheduled to be forward deployed in Japan in September 2008 and will replace the Kitty Hawk as the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier.
The USS Ronald Reagan CSG departed Sasebo, Japan, on August 1 and is on a routine deployment in the 7th fleet area of responsibility (AOR).
The USS Harry S. Truman is currently under way in the western Atlantic Ocean conducting routine operations.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is currently conducting carrier qualifications in the Atlantic Ocean.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is undergoing an operational reactor safeguard examination (ORSE) off the U.S. East Coast.
Expeditionary Strike Groups
The USS Peleliu ESG is supporting security operations in the 5th fleet AOR, which includes Iraq and Afghanistan.
The USS Nassau ESG arrived in its home port of Norfolk, Va., on July 11 after completing a scheduled deployment to the 5th and 6th fleets.
The USS Bonhomme Richard is conducting routine operations in the eastern Pacific after concluding participation in RIMPAC 2008 off the coast of Hawaii on July 31.
The USS Kearsarge is under way in the 4th fleet AOR. The 4th fleet was re-established in July 2008 after being deactivated in the 1950s and will operate in Central and South America as well as in the Caribbean.
The USS Iwo Jima returned to its home port in Norfolk after concluding participation in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) Operation Brimstone on July 31.
The USS Boxer is under way in the eastern Pacific and is currently conducting routine operations.
The USS Bataan is currently on routine deployment in the Atlantic.
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/u_s_naval_update_map_aug_6_2008
And from Global Security, the story they had on the armada is no longer available.
Massive US Naval Armada Heads For Iran
Article not available.
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle& code=EAR20080811&articleId=9799 - 1k - Cached - Similar pages
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See: http://www.uscarriers.net/cvn71deploy.htm
I didn't see any mention of the Iwo Jima returning to Norfolk in the local press:
http://www.dailypress.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=iwo+jima&sortby=...
http://hamptonroads.com/category/pilotonline.com/military
In fact, the Iwo Jima carrier group is due to be deployed in September:
http://www.uscarriers.net/lhd7deploy.htm
Here is the revised story on global research:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9817
The Chossudovsky report in GR states:
According to the press reports (see UPI, August 11, 2008), the war ships involved in the "Operation Brimstone" war games off the US North Atlantic coast, had set sail for the Middle East. This information is apparently incorrect, according to the US Navy and Stratfor.
It is worth noting that the Kuwaiti government had activated emergency procedures based on the information pertaining to a major naval deployment in the Persian Gulf.
Based on the movement and location of USS carrier and expeditionary strike forces, the Bush administration has not decided to carry out a naval surge directed against Iran immediately following the conduct of the North Atlantic War Games
The eventuality of a naval blockade directed against Iran is nonetheless being considered by the Pentagon. In fact, the naval blockade initiative is supported by a bill which was launched in the US Congress in late May..
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"Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."
http://www.uscarriers.net/lhd7deploy.htm
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"Stop judging by appearances, but judge justly."