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U.S. redeploying warships to
the Persian Gulf
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
ABU DHABI — The United States has bolstered its naval presence near Iran as The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class aircraft
carrier, entered the Gulf on Dec. 11.
The U.S. Navy has deployed the Eisenhower ostensibly to support the U.S. military
presence in Iraq.
Officials said the Navy has been moving warships from the Red Sea and
Indian Ocean toward the Gulf. They said the redeployment was meant to
bolster the
Western presence in the region as Iran's military buildup continues.
Eisenhower, the flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, was
accompanied by the USS Anzio, a guided-missile cruiser. Eisenhower can
support as many as 100 fighter-jets, Middle East Newsline reported.
The U.S. Fifth Fleet said the strike group departed Norfolk, Va. on Oct.
3. The navy said the group began operating alongside coalition maritime
forces on Oct. 30.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to serve and make a difference,
whether it is flying in support of multinational troops operating in Iraq,
or training alongside coalition and regional navies, or conducting maritime
security operations in the Gulf," Rear Adm. Al Myers, commander of the
Eisenhower Strike Group, said.
Copyright © 2006 East West
Services, Inc.
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