The USS Truman carrier group left homeport Norfolk, VA on May 21 to relieve the USS Eisenhower group in the Persian Gulf. http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/06/defense_france_carrier_truman_060810/ reported on interoperability excercises June 4 with France’s DeGaulle in Marseilles, followed by some shore leave in Marseilles. FT reported Truman near Sicily June 15. German anti-missile frigate Hessen joined the group. One report of five days of joint fighter jet ops training with Israel in the Negev.
One report of an Israeli corvette joing the Truman group through the Suez on June 18. (one can assume the DeGaulle is minding the Med, despite JE Dyer’s informed opinion at http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/06/23/smackdown-at-sea/
The bigger threatto Israel is a flotilla swarm out of Lebanon, and PM Hariri took Israel’s note to the UN very seriously. BTW, Hezbollah is Shi’ite, and so are a lot of Lebanese people, possibly a majority although no census since 1932.
As to Turkey? In an amazing coincidence, the PKK went hot with their attacks on the Turkish military about the time of the Marmara. Turkey is no longer talking about Hamas, but about their own war against their own Kurds (which gets Turkey zero sympathy from the left, or anyone else, except Iran and Syria), and they are attacking Iraqi Kurdistan, as is Iran. Hezbollah’s Nasrallah just cancelled his trip to Turkey. Turkish charities are now focussed on relief for the Uzbeks of Kyrgyzstan (both Turkic peoples).
Whether the USS Eisenhower leaves the Persian Gulf on schedule is unknown, but it is assumed the Hessen and Israeli corvette are still with the Truman. My favorite was one report that three of Truman’s destroyers would ‘peel off’ to deal with piracy off Somalia, and I believe that may have happened as there was a US rescue of some Yemeni fishermen after the Suez transit. LibertyShip46 knows that is overkill. Iran HAS been sponsoring a Shi’a insurgency on Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia.
Does anyone think the US and NATO are going to let Hamas (or Iran or Turkey) threaten the Suez Canal?
