Armed troops on commercial shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz?

| August 4, 2023

American officials have informed The Associated Press that the US military is considering the positioning of armed troops on commercial vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz. This is being considered to act as a deterrence against the Iranians’ harassing and seizing these ships. The Iranians have been taking commercial vessels as a way to put pressure on the relevant powers related to the collapsed nuclear deal.

From The Associated Press:

The contemplated move also would represent an extraordinary commitment in the Mideast by U.S. forces as the Pentagon tries to focus on Russia and China. America didn’t even take the step during the so-called “Tanker War,” which culminated with the U.S. Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988 that was the Navy’s largest since World War II.

While officials offered few details of the plan, it comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship, are on their way to the Persian Gulf. Those Marines and sailors could provide the backbone for any armed guard mission in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s crude oil passes.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP about the U.S. proposal.

Five U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, acknowledged its broad details. The officials stressed no final decision had been made and that discussions continue between U.S. military officials and America’s Gulf Arab allies in the region.

Officials said the Marines and Navy sailors would provide the security only at the request of the ships involved. One official described the process as complex, saying any deployment likely also would require approval of the country under which the ship is flagged and the country under which the owner is registered. So far, that has yet to happen and it might not for some time, the official said.

Earlier Thursday, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet, met with the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The six-nation bloc includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Associated Press has additional information on the story.

Category: International Affairs, Iran, Military issues

39 Comments
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AW1Ed

It’s back.

goodideafairy-300x300.jpg
Anna Puma

Maybe this time, an Iranian Silkworm missile will hit the Good Idea Fairy.

Mick

— SIGH —

We’ve seen this same sort of thing before in 1987-1988 in response to Iranian bullshit in international waters. History repeats itself yet again.

Operation EARNEST WILL

Operation PRIME CHANCE

Operation NIMBLE ARCHER

Operation PRAYING MANTIS

None of it worked out very well for the Iranians back then, either.

Eggs

I hope it goes something like

Operation FAFO

SFC D

“Hey Haj! How long can you tread water?”

Operation In’shallah, motherfucker

HT3

A couple of -51 class DDG’s and a P3/P8 asset overhead and those camel fuckers won’t know to shit or go blind…

SFC D

Kinda curious how a full B-52 rack of 500 lb GP bombs on a little Iranian speedboat would look. Nothing succeeds like excess.

5JC

Meh, issue a few letters of Marque and let private security handle it.

https://youtu.be/2Unx2xYIc8g

SFC D

We need a few crusty old TAH dickweeds, a flotilla of overpowered floatable toys from Bass Pro, and I’m quite certain we got someone here that could fabricate a nice mount for Ma Deuce, if not a minigun. Who’s bringing the beer?

MustangCPT

Did someone say Yuengling?🍺🍺🍺

MustangCryppie

Sign me the fuck up! These fuckers need a good spanking.

Anna Puma

Didn’t the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812 outlaw the issuance by the US of Letters of Marque and Reprisal? Or did that only apply to British shipping?

Roh-Dog

That question would probably be best answered by the legal departments at KBR/Halliburton, Blackwater, Aegis.

Really? mod jail?

Last edited 1 year ago by Roh-Dog
AW1Ed

You tripped the spam filter, no idea why.

SFC D

I did a little googling. Letters of Marque were abolished by the Congress of Paris in 1856, and the practice of privateering was considered obsolete by the end of the nineteenth century. Seven European countries signed off, the US was not a signatory. It appears to be legal, just not standard practice. It’d have to be done as a security contractor, something like Blackwater, Triple Canopy, etc.

Roh-Dog

‘Great minds…’ and all that.

Ponder, my comment was withheld for reasons.

(in no way am I insinuating the Headshed has anything to do with it)

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

Not to denigrate the efforts of Our Troops on commercial ships, but is their any reason that commercial ships can’t hire private armed guards to stand guard duty when crossing through the Straits of Hormuz?

I’m thinking private security might have much less restrictive rules of engagement that military personnel would. Anything within 300M is a free-fire zone.

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH Neande

I presume this is a goodness thing?

5JC
SFC D

OK Navy, Lufthansa has raised the stakes. It’s your bet, ante up!

jeff LPH 3 63-66

I watched youtube videos of armed security aboard commercial ships warding off the somali pirates plus I was sent an email from a shipmate on a youtube video in Russian about Russian troops boarding a Russian commercial ship that was under the control of somali pirates and the pirates were then brought aboard their own ship and their hands tied to the railings while the Russian special forces guys went below decks and planted explosives which breached the hull bottom sending the ship and pirates down to Davey Jones locker in a flaming end. Sould have saved the video.

rgr769

The Ruskies knew what would deter those pirates from attacking their merchant ships.

SFC D

Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’

Last edited 1 year ago by SFC D
Prior Service

Three thoughts on my mind at the same time:
– got no problems with Marines smoking Iranians
But;
– why don’t these other countries do something for themselves,
And;
-would we even be there if we were energy independent (again….)?

Roh-Dog

We have a tool box full of hammers so it’s nails all the way down.

If we don’t support the use of our dollar (bonds, SWIFT, euronuggettoken, etc) then they come home.

It is apparent someone called in a favor, or else.

We have so much fucking energy under the ground this is beyond irresponsible. It is criminal.

Thunderstixx

What could possibly go wrong with this plan….

5JC

We called them Marines, the Iranians call them human shields.

fm2176

I recently watched The Fat Electrician’s video on Praying Mantis: America Obliterates Half Of Iran’s Navy In 8 Hours! – Operation Praying Mantis – YouTube
The key takeaway from that video is “Proportional”.

Last edited 1 year ago by fm2176
SFC D

Proportional? Not “The Chicago Way”?

Anna Puma

McNamara tried ‘proportional response’ to the air war in Vietnam.

Got a lot of men killed or captured.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

McNamara was the one who screwed up the building of the Iwo Jima class LPH’s due to budget problems.

SCPO USN Ret

Any recently decomminshed ship(s) (LCS need not apply) that we could get loaded and ready for battle. BTW, need those two turds accused of selling intel to the CCP for water skiing off the stern.

SFC D

I think you mean “chum”.

Anonymous

Also…

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MustangCryppie

Thumbs up just for dissing LCSs. Something those “ships” richly deserve to be.

KoB

And we’re (American Taxpayers) are doing this because…? How much profit is made from the successful delivery of a super tanker full of crude? If we’re gonna be the world’s police force, then let’s get PAID to be the police force.

Old tanker

This is kind of silly on the face of it. Do they really expect the presence of infantry troops on a commercial ship to deter the iranians? The only way I can see this working is if they provide something heavier than a couple machine guns and a squad of troops. Given that the iranians are likely to be armed with 20mm or higher canons those would outrange a light mg. Now if the provided a couple Javelins. using an anti tank weapon against a small vessel then I can see that working. Rifles and small mg’s do not seem all that feasible to me.

Deckie

Late entry to this thread — but it kinda just happened.

The American flagged containership APL EAGLE was swarmed by gunboats with bow mounted machine guns north of Bahrain at 0600 UTC 8/19 and ordered to slow down, but they maintained course and speed and the boats eventually broke off.

Got the word through the UKMTO just a few hours ago on this one.