What is Good for Attack is also Good for Withdrawal!
November 11, 2006
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
Please do not believe I am saying that the primary reason for the naval buildup in the Persian Gulf is for defensive purposes – I am sure it is for offensive purposes, IF NECESSARY.
However, I am also certain it may end up being used for a secondary objective, IF NECESSARY, which would be a STEADY, CONSISTENT, SAFE WITHDRAWAL of allied troops from Iraq. Being a Vietnam veteran, I well remember the chaos of the American withdrawal after the last great enemy offensive.
A withdrawal by air from a territory infested by guerilla warfare tactics is not a good scenario, and one of the reasons is the time required because of the smaller capacity carried by aircraft as compared to naval vessels. I believe our withdrawal from Iraq will be by l and, sea,
and air in an orderly fashion primarily from the airport and seaport of Kuwait.
A withdrawal is inevitable. The question is HOW, WHEN, AND AT WHAT RATE
? One of the most reasonable scenarios would be the southward removal of allied troops from northern Iraq to the west of the Baghdad Sunni Triangle to the Kuwait Persian Gulf Sea Port, with allied troops in western and eastern Iraq merging with them south of Baghdad, and the troops immediately around Baghdad then pulling out to become a part of a shielded road of safety all the way to Kuwait. I doubt if the terrorist guerilla forces, giving us so much trouble in Iraq at the present time, would mount a concerted plan of attack against our withdrawal by attacking our flanks, being delighted to claim a great victory without losing men they will need to take over Iraq.
And I do not believe Iran would give us a reason for invading its west coast from the Persian Gulf by launching an attack against our ships, which would be carrying an adequate number of troops to carry it out.
I suspect the massive naval buildup in the Persian Gulf outlined in the DEBKAfile Exclusive, which follows, would be a great incentive to our Islamic enemies not to attack our withdrawing forces, considering the missile and aircraft firepower it could unleash on Iran, Syria, and Iraq in justifiable international retaliation.
Begin DEBKAfile Article
DEBKAfile Exclusive: USS Boxer Strike Group, entered the Persian Gulf Thursday, Nov.
9, the largest US landing force to reach this water in a decade
November 10, 2006, 3:21 PM (GMT+02:00)
The Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) now in the US Fifth Fleet area headquartered in Bahrain, consists of Boxer (picture), Amphibious Squadron 5, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Seals), the Coast Guard cutter Midgett and Canadian frigate HMCS Ottawa, as well as the USS Dubuque,
USS Comstock, the largest landing craft in the US Navy, USS Bunker Hill and the guided missile destroyers USS Benfold and USS Howard. The Boxer Group has just come from joint maneuvers with the Indian navy in the Arabian Sea opposite the coast of Goa, including large-scale landing practices.
The group’s commander, Capt.
David Angood said that if “anything important happens in the real-world environment, the task force will deal with it in the most efficient manner.”
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that the arrival of Boxer in the Persian Gulf coincided with the USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group’s passage through the Suez Canal on its way from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. It is the first time that a US naval strike force is accompanied by a coast guard unit.
Its vessels are equipped and their crews trained for rapid rescue and aid missions to damaged ships and wounded crewmen. Their presence in the task force indicates that the Boxer strike group is prepared for Iranian attack by sea, air, submarine, sea-to-sea missiles or depth mines.
End DEBKAfile Article
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