US beefs up Gulf naval force amid tension with Iran

[The Northerner]

(Reuters) - A U.S. navy ship that had been slated for decommissioning has been sent instead to the Gulf to help mine-clearing operations, the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain said, the latest move in a gradual U.S. build-up as tensions with Iran smoulder.

A fleet spokesman in Manama said the USS Ponce, described as a "afloat forward staging base" (AFSB), had arrived on Thursday after undergoing refitting for its new mission.

"Ponce's primary mission is to support mine countermeasures operations and other missions, such as the ability to provide repair service to other deployed units," the spokesman said in a statement. "Additionally, Ponce also has the capability to embark and launch small riverine craft."

Vice Admiral John Miller, commander of regional navy forces, said the Ponce boasted "enhanced capability to conduct maritime security operations, and gives us greater flexibility to support a wide range of contingencies with our regional partners".

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/07/gulf-us-iran-idUSL6E8I729Q20120707


Can anyone name any other reason(s) for why the US military should be deployed in the Middle East besides to harass and agitate Iran and any other "unfriendly" governments in the area?

[tech3149]

1. The "tension" with Iran is completely US generated.

I've been telling people for years that if we stop pissing in other people's sandboxes we won't have so many "enemies"
Iran is no threat even if they did have a desire for nuclear weapons. We've had a hardon for Iran since the "hostage" crisis but that was a reaction to our shooting down an Iranian passenger plane. You could even go back to the end of WW2 when it was decided that our "strategic interest" would be to secure access to Middle Eastern oil.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Deploying U.S. navy ships to the Gulf is setting up for a Mideast version of Gulf of Tonkin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident

No incident if military presence is absent.