It would be perfect timing for an Obama administration bent on Israel’s destruction to leave a two month window of opportunity open for Iran, wouldn’t it? If war breaks out, you know what happened.
The United States’ air strike capabilities against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) may take a serious hit this fall as the U.S. will be without an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf for the first time since 2007.
Adm. John Richardson, the Obama administration’s nominee for chief of naval operations, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that there will be a two-month gap this fall when the U.S. does not have a carrier in the Gulf. The U.S. will have 11 aircraft carriers when the USS Gerald Ford enters service next year.
“Without that carrier, that will be a detriment to our capability, yes, sir,” Richardson said during questioning from Sen. John McCain.
Currently, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is deployed in the Gulf and one-third of the air missions against ISIL originate from the carrier. The Roosevelt carrier strike group was also recently deployed to Yemen.
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Experts say not having a carrier in the Middle East is a mistake.
“It reduces the president’s options,” said Bryan McGrath, former naval officer who now runs the consulting firm FerryBridge Group. “Aircraft carriers are so powerful because we can relatively quickly move it in position where we need it and use it without anyone’s permission.”
Full article: U.S. to withdraw carrier from Gulf amid Obama budget cuts (World Tribune)
Global Geopolitics 