Americas

Americas

U.S. Navy to bolster capabilities in Gulf

17 March 2012 00:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The U.S. Navy is beefing up its presence and capabilities in the Gulf, in order to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remain open, Navy Admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, said Friday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

In a session with the Defense Writers’ Group, Greenert said the strait is a critical global choke point of the Persian Gulf, through which much of the world’s oil flows.

Greenert said he will double the number of mine warfare assets in the region, including mine sweepers -- from four ships to eight -- and anti-mine aircraft in the form of four more CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters. He said the Navy is also sending more underwater unmanned autonomous mine neutralization units to the region. For ships sailing through the strait, the Navy is providing more infrared and electro-optical capabilities.

Navy forces need more short-range defenses in the region, Greenert said. He noted that the strait is a constrained area, giving aircraft carrier battle groups, which have excellent long- range defenses, challenges in that area.

The Navy is looking at placing Mark 38 Gatling guns aboard the escorts or the carriers themselves, he said.

Greenert also said the Navy is looking into placing more patrol craft, the 200-foot vessels that are armed with small arms, into the Gulf region. He also wants to install short-range missiles, which shoot targets as close as four miles away on patrol craft.

There are five patrol craft in the United States, three more coming back to the Navy from the Coast Guard and five in the Persian Gulf, Greenert said he wants to move toward upgrading the craft in the United States with Gatling guns and put them in Bahrain.

"Ultimately, and we’ll have 10 [in the Gulf]," the admiral said.

He is looking to have most of the capabilities in place in the region within a year.