Irregular Warfare:Rand Corporation Analyst on the Battle for Iraq

We don't have a clear strategy for Iraq right now,said Major Ben Connable,US Marine Corps Retired,International Policy Senior Analyst at the Rand Corporation.We have an ongoing military campaign.Several Iraqi divisions have collapsed,and several are near collapse in Anbar.What is it that the President wants to accomplish at the end of the campaign?Clarity would be very helpful to the US officers who are designing and implementing the campaign.*
Most of the Gulf countries' troops are designed for internal security and would be resented by the Iraqi people.A lot of these countries are providing bases,trainers and aircraft.An advisor is someone who is going in to advise commanders on what decisions to make in logistics,communications or as air controlers.*
The US Navy has a strong presence in Bahrain.It's a very touchy relationship with Iran.We have had a difficult relationship with them.They may already have a Quds force there advising Iraqi troops.The Jordanians have been tremendously helpful.The Emirates and Saudi have been very helpful.I know a lot of Iraqis who risked their lives to build a democratic state.*
There has been progress recently that has degraded the Islamic State and forced them to act in small groups,but if you kill or destroy the Islamic State,there has to be something that fills that void that we leave behind.Irregular warfare is incredibly difficult.Every decision is a tradeoff not leading to a clear victory.It frankly exceeds the capacity of the human mind to fully and completely understand the complexity of this scenario and a US military campaign:not understanding the crisis,you can't count them,and you don't know where they are;the Islamic State broke away from al Qaida;al Nusra is affiliated with al Qaida,but somewhat separate.If we do want to defeat and destroy the Islamic State,I don't know how we can do that without large US ground forces.Just through air power and advisors is extremely difficult,MAJ Connable observed.

F-22 Raptor Intercepted Iranian F-4,General Reveals

More details of a March 2013 encounter between US Air Force and Iranian jet fighters were recently provided by General Mark Welsh,Air Force Chief of Staff.Speaking at an Air Force Association conference September 17,General Welsh indicated an F-22 Raptor,currently the Air Force's most advanced tactical aircraft in service,approached an Iranian F-4 Phantom,a Vietnam era fighter,and,flying beneath it undetected,assessed its armament.The Iranian had been closing within 16 miles of a US MQ-1 Predator drone off the coast of Iran.Assessment completed,the F-22 pilot,Lt.Colonel Kevin "Showtime" Sutterfield,US Air Force Reserve,pulled alongside the Iranian's left wing and radioed a warning to the F-4 pilot,according to General Welsh.No shots were fired during the incident,which the Pentagon disclosed when it occurred in March,but did not then identify what type of US aircraft were involved in the successful intercept.*
During a March Pentagon briefing,spokesman George Little specified that two US aircraft participated.The Predator drone had been on a routine classified surveillance mission over international waters when the Iranians drew near to it,he said.This was seen as an unacceptable threat to the drone's force protection mission,so the US fighters responded.*
In November 2012,an Iranian fighter had actually fired on another US drone in the Persian Gulf area.Iran also threatened to close the strategically important Strait of Hormuz,the entrance to the Gulf through which much of the world's oil supply passes.This threat had reportedly caused the Air Force to base an F-22 squadron at Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE in April 2012,which would explain where the F-22s in the March 2013 incident came from.*
The F-22 is known for its stealth and extreme agility.Some F-22 Raptor pilots have experienced blackouts for lack of oxygen,causing the Air Force to ground the planes on occasion.General Welsh expressed confidence that the problem would be solved.

U.S. Augments Forces in Persian Gulf Region

The U.S. has doubled the number of  its minesweepers in the Persian Gulf from four to eight and dispatched a special ops staging platform,the USS Ponce(LPD-15),to the region.At the same time,the U.S. Air Force has added F-15C Eagles and F-22 Raptors,which are its most advanced fighters currently in service,to air bases nearby.The U.S. Army,for its part,is keeping an extra combat brigade's worth of troops on station in Kuwait.These moves are to respond to any Iranian attempt to close the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz,which conveys oil tankers from the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf,carrying much of the world's oil supply,and to increase the capablity to conduct deep strikes within Iran.
A senior Defense Department official warned Iran not to even think about it,according to The New York Times.We'll clear the mines.If you send fast boats to harass U.S. vessels or commercial shipping,we'll put them on the bottom of the Gulf,the official promised.Sanctions against Iranian oil exports have just been ratcheted up to pressure Iran to curtail its nuclear program.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been testing a new ballistic missile system that can strike Israel,Turkey and vessels in the Persian Gulf.As well,legislation has been drafted for the Iranian parliament to close the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers bound for countries participating in the sanctions against it.
The complex build-up of U.S. forces is also meant to rein in Iran's hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East generally;not just its nuclear program,the unnamed Pentagon official said.The USS Ponce,an older ship,was reconfigured for its new mission at the request of U.S. Central Command.With its room for up to six helicopters and well deck for docking small boats and landing craft,the 1970s era ship is ideally suited for special operations support.

Defense Secretary Warns Iran

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued a warning to Iran and others not to miscalculate over the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.For Iran and anybody else who has any other ideas,let me make clear that the United States maintains 40,000 troops in that region;23,000 in Kuwait,and numbers of others in countries throughout that region,Mr.Panetta stated while on an Asian trip last week.
Almost all U.S. forces will be withdrawn out of Iraq by 31 December on orders by President Obama.The only exceptions will be a small cadre of U.S. Marines who guard the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad-the largest U.S. Embassy in the world-as well as a small number to help with arms transactions with Iraq.
As well as maintaining those U.S. troops currently stationed in the Persian Gulf region outside of Iraq,the Pentagon is reportedly considering transferring some of the soldiers now in Iraq to neighboring Kuwait,The New York Times ascertained.The U.S. Navy may also keep more warships in the region.A Pentagon spokesman said they're going through a range of options and no decisions have been made.
The vacuum created by U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is a growing concern for America's Sunni Muslim Persian Gulf allies,who are wary of more Iranian Shiite Muslim influence in the region.

Bollinger Built The Boats:Coast Guard Secures Persian Gulf

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to secure the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn,successor to Operation Iraqi Freedom.Performing the task are the crews of six Island class patrol boats.These 110-foot cutters have a complement of 16 and a range of 1900 nautical miles.They are armed with one Mk38 25mm machine gun and two .50 caliber machine guns.
The Island class is powered by two diesel engines and has a speed of 29.5+ knots.It is currently being refurbished for cost-effectiveness and to extend its service life by another 15 years.The patrol boats are the product of Bollinger Shipyards,Inc.
Bollinger operates 12 shipyards with 32 drydocks in South Louisiana and Texas.It was founded in 1946 and serves both commercial and military interests.

Saudi Bulks Up Defenses

Pending congressional approval,Saudi Arabia may purchase up to 90 billion dollars of U.S. military hardware over a period of years,including F-15 fighter jets,attack helicopters and advanced patrol boats.The big effort is in response to an increasingly formidable Iranian military,as well as instability in neighboring Yemen and Somalia.Iran has been improving the range and accuracy of its ballistic missiles,as well as building up its navy,among other projects.Other Persian Gulf states,such as Kuwait,the United Arab Emirates and Oman are also angling for U.S. equipment.
Israel will buy about 20 of the new F-35 Lightning II stealth aircraft,versions of which are currently being produced for,and tested by,the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.The Israeli government has accepted that Persian Gulf states are arming themselves in light of the Iranian and Islamic militant threats,although Israel is unenthused by the prospect.

Coast Guard Marks 220th Birthday

The U.S. Coast Guard was established by the Treasury Department as the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August,1790.This armed 10-ship force policed maritime trade,collecting tariffs and arresting smugglers.In 1915,the RCS absorbed the U.S. Lifesaving Service and assumed the Coast Guard name.The U.S. Lighthouse Service was added in 1939,as was the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation in 1942.
The Coast Guard's homeland security responsibilities grew markedly in the wake of the 9-11 attacks,and it has always served alongside,or even within,the U.S. Navy in our nation's wars.Since 2003,six Coast Guard cutters and more than 400 personnel have been detailed to the Persian Gulf for various security and training assignments related to the Iraq War.
All told,the Coast Guard has 11 core missions,from icebreaking to fisheries enforcement and national defense.Special attention is paid to defending Washington,D.C. from terrorist attack,whether by patrols with the 25-foot Response Boat-Smalls on the Potomac River,or by Dolphin helicopters armed with machine guns and .50-caliber Precision Fire Weapons.
Strong efforts are underway to prevent the Coast Guard's budget from being cut,given the multitude of vital tasks the service performs today as in the past.

Cruiser Crew Visits Gettysburg

Six crew members from the USS Gettysburg(CG64) are visiting their namesake town of Gettysburg,Pennsylvania.Sponsored by the USS Gettysburg Society,the sailors presented a book to city hall documenting their recent activities in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden,where they captured 36 Somali pirates.They were hosted at a Cumberland Township restaurant before retiring for the night to a fire station.On Wednesday,they will visit a middle school and high school before touring the Civil War battlefield and other sites in the historic town.The visit concludes on Thursday.
The USS Gettysburg is a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser.Homeported in Mayport,Florida,the crew is a frequent guest in the Southcentral Pennsylvania town made famous by the epic battle and Abraham Lincoln's address at the National Cemetery.The ship's motto is "Deeds Not Words."She received the USS Arizona Award for combat performance in July,2009.Besides intercepting pirates,she has also disrupted drug trafficking in concert with the U.S. Coast Guard.

France Opens Navy Base

A French navy base near Abu Dhabi,the capital of the United Arab Emirates,has been opened by the President of France,Nicolas Sarkozy.The base will allow the French navy to project power in the Persian Gulf,protecting the oil and liquified natural gas shipments that transit the Gulf,as well as in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean,where Somali pirates have beeen attacking merchant vessels.It is France's first military installation outside of Africa,and the first new foreign base since the 1960s.
Preseident Sarkozy is a close friend of U.S. President Barack Obama,and has reintegrated the French military into the NATO alliance.The French and U.S. navies are involved in a number of personnel exchanges,especially in the naval aviation field.The two navies participate in extensive joint training and operations.

A Marine for NASA

Major General Charles F. Bolden,Jr.,U.S. Marine Corps Retired,has been selected by President Barack Obama to head NASA.General Bolden was himself an astronaut,having flown on four space shuttle missions-commanding two of them.His last mission was in 2004.Before his space career,which also included stints as a NASA administrator,General Bolden was a Marine aviator,flying more than 1000 sorties in the Vietnam War.He served in the Persian Gulf as well.The U.S. Naval Academy graduate was praised by fellow astronaut Senator Bill Nelson(D-Florida) for being a patriot,a leader and a visionary.General Bolden would be charged with conducting a review of all of NASA's programs,retiring the shuttle and guiding the follow-on Orion program,if he wins U.S. Senate approval.He would be the first African American to direct NASA.