The Mesa Verde has a complete projection capacity thanks to the Osprey MV-22 armed transport convertiplane.
Last Friday, US President Barack Obama told the press he was considering the possibility of military action in Iraq.
The Mesa Verde joins the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier, the USS Philippine Sea missile cruiser and the USS Truxtun missile destroyer, already deployed in the Gulf since last Saturday.
There is particular concern about the fate of American citizens in Iraq and in the diplomatic structures in the country. Some members of the diplomatic staff have already been transferred from Baghdad to Basra and Erbil. Some officials were transferred to Amman in Jordan. But the last American bastion in the region, the Baghdad Embassy, remains fully operational with most of the staff regularly on duty.
Obama, in order to guarantee a possible exfiltration of diplomatic personnel, also deployed a contingent of 275 marine in Kuwait, ready to take action in case of emergency.
The White House is keen to point out that America will not be dragged into another war, but has also prepared to send "multipliers" for the formation of besieged Iraqi troops.
The Sunni insurgency in a very short time invested part of the country, threatening the Shia-led government itself. Just this morning other details emerged on the contingent of the special forces that will soon arrive in Baghdad (going to thicken the small shadow group already present). Among green caps and elements of the Delta force, the group that will reach Baghdad will not exceed the 100 units.
They will report directly to the US ambassador in Baghdad and will not be authorized to fight, but if attacked they can defend themselves with any means available. The American military philosophy is particular and deserves a little deepening. Because if the simple soldier is considered precious, the member of the special departments is sacred. The support that is given to the latter (and his family) is unimaginable in every respect. The sentence of the White House spokeswoman "are not allowed to engage, but if attacked they will defend themselves with every means available", recalls the mission that led to the killing of Bin Laden. Obama himself wanted a team of 81 members composed of Tier-1, Delta, CIA and FBI operative agents with special training and of course the Seal Team Six. The mission directives, which took place without the permission of the Pakistani government, forbade any kind of contact with the troops of Islamabad, but if they had attacked, the engagement would have been authorized with all the firepower available.
Meanwhile, the deployment of boats for the anti-missile defense shield in Europe continues. The USS Ross, Arleigh-Burke-class Aegis destroyer, reached Spain a few hours ago. It is the second of four US Navy destroyers stationed in Europe falling into the Shield. The USS Ross, started from Norfolk, Virginia, at the beginning of June. He joins the USS destroyer Donald Cook, who arrived at the Rota base last February. By the 2015, the USS Porter from Norfolk and the USS Carney from Mayport will also reach Spain. The four ships will be the focus of the missile shield. The map of the "shield", in addition to ships in Spain, includes terrestrial batteries in Romania and Poland, discovery radars in Turkey and command center at the Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany.
Franco Iacch
(in the photos: USS Mesa Verde - DoD USA)
