Posted on Feb 2, 2017
US may have to consider firing on Iranian boats after latest attack
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On Monday, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen launched an attack on a Saudi Arabian naval vessel using suicide boats, or fast attack craft laden with explosives.
According to Fordham University maritime law professor and former US Navy Commander Lawrence Brennan, “this attack is likely to impact US naval operations and rules of engagement (ROE) in nearby waters.”
The year 2016 saw an unprecedented spike in the number of incidents at sea between the US Navy and fast-attack craft of the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), at least one of which required the US Navy to open fire with warning shots.
Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had a blockbuster year in 2016, using an anti-ship missile to hit an Emirati naval vessel and then firing a salvo of missiles at US Navy ships in October.
The US Navy successfully fended off the Houthi missile attack and retaliated by destroying three radar sites in Houthi-controlled Yemen. At the time, US officials and experts contacted by Business Insider concluded that Iran likely supplied the missiles to the Houthis.
But the latest attack on the Saudis may give the US Navy pause in the future.
In a questionable video released of the attack, people near the camera can be heard shouting slogans like “death to America,” “death to Israel,” and “death to Jews!” One Pentagon official told the Washington Examiner that the Houthis may have mistaken the Saudi ship they attacked for a US Navy ship, though another official denied it.
In any case, the US Navy frequently deals with Iranian fast-attack craft swarming its vessels and approaching very closely. In one case last year, Iranian fast-attack craft got within 300 yards of a US Navy vessel.
At the time, the US Navy responded by attempting to contact the Iranians, maneuvering evasively, blowing the horn, then finally firing warning shots.
But according to Brennan, the US may not allow hostile, unresponsive ships to get so close to Navy vessels after a force associated with Iran used suicide boats to kill two Saudi sailors.
“The overarching duty of self-defense mandates revision of the ROE to provide a sufficient ‘bubble’ to prevent the risk of a suicide attack, particularly from swarming boats,” said Brennan in an email to Business Insider.
President Donald Trump has already signaled his intention to respond more forcefully.
“With Iran,” Trump said while campaigning in Florida, “when they circle our beautiful destroyers with their little boats, and they make gestures at our people that they shouldn’t be allowed to make, they will be shot out of the water.”
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. BurroughsSgt Joe LaBrancheSSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F.PO2 Ed C. SFC(P) Hercules Lobo MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnellSSG Leo Bell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see) SPC Britanny *Winnie* Balthaser Maj Kim Patterson
According to Fordham University maritime law professor and former US Navy Commander Lawrence Brennan, “this attack is likely to impact US naval operations and rules of engagement (ROE) in nearby waters.”
The year 2016 saw an unprecedented spike in the number of incidents at sea between the US Navy and fast-attack craft of the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), at least one of which required the US Navy to open fire with warning shots.
Meanwhile, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had a blockbuster year in 2016, using an anti-ship missile to hit an Emirati naval vessel and then firing a salvo of missiles at US Navy ships in October.
The US Navy successfully fended off the Houthi missile attack and retaliated by destroying three radar sites in Houthi-controlled Yemen. At the time, US officials and experts contacted by Business Insider concluded that Iran likely supplied the missiles to the Houthis.
But the latest attack on the Saudis may give the US Navy pause in the future.
In a questionable video released of the attack, people near the camera can be heard shouting slogans like “death to America,” “death to Israel,” and “death to Jews!” One Pentagon official told the Washington Examiner that the Houthis may have mistaken the Saudi ship they attacked for a US Navy ship, though another official denied it.
In any case, the US Navy frequently deals with Iranian fast-attack craft swarming its vessels and approaching very closely. In one case last year, Iranian fast-attack craft got within 300 yards of a US Navy vessel.
At the time, the US Navy responded by attempting to contact the Iranians, maneuvering evasively, blowing the horn, then finally firing warning shots.
But according to Brennan, the US may not allow hostile, unresponsive ships to get so close to Navy vessels after a force associated with Iran used suicide boats to kill two Saudi sailors.
“The overarching duty of self-defense mandates revision of the ROE to provide a sufficient ‘bubble’ to prevent the risk of a suicide attack, particularly from swarming boats,” said Brennan in an email to Business Insider.
President Donald Trump has already signaled his intention to respond more forcefully.
“With Iran,” Trump said while campaigning in Florida, “when they circle our beautiful destroyers with their little boats, and they make gestures at our people that they shouldn’t be allowed to make, they will be shot out of the water.”
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. BurroughsSgt Joe LaBrancheSSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F.PO2 Ed C. SFC(P) Hercules Lobo MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnellSSG Leo Bell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see) SPC Britanny *Winnie* Balthaser Maj Kim Patterson
US may have to consider firing on Iranian boats after latest attack
Posted from wearethemighty.com
Yemen
War on Terror
Office of the President (POTUS)
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 12
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Hopefully the USA will respond with deliberately measured force in areas from the tip of Africa to Yemen to Vietnam SP5 Mark Kuzinski. I hope each US Navy frigate, destroyer and littoral-warfare ship has the capability to engage and vaporize these small boats and that they will begin doing to engage hostile crafts in that region from Yemen, Somalia, Iran and from Syria if need be.
What are your thoughts? LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnellSPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright LTC Greg Henning CPT Gabe Snell
What are your thoughts? LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) CW5 Charlie Poulton SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT (Join to see) SGT John " Mac " McConnellSPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright LTC Greg Henning CPT Gabe Snell
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This was only an issue because the Obama administration restricted ROE to an insane degree. I fully expect Trump will let loose the dogs of war. It's my guess we're going to see precisely one more incident of this, and it'll be the last, because we're going to blow them out of the water under Trump.
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MAJ James Woods
In other words, your statement is bull cause you cannot back it up. Don't make absurd statements if you don't want to be criticized.
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SN Greg Wright
MAJ James Woods - You didn't criticize. You condescended. Your first statement is fallacious on several levels. Appeal to the stone, appeal to the probability, argument from incredulity...I could go on. The fact is, the only reason those boats ever got within 300 yards of a destroyer that can kill them far over the horizon is that the administration set the ROE such that commanders were wary enough to allow them that close.
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MAJ James Woods
ROE and Escalation of Force measures implemented by the Navy on the incident you described has nothing to do with Obama Admin and if the ship CPT really felt they were a threat he'd open fire on them and not warning shots. You're as bad as individuals who felt our naval ships should have opened fired on the aircraft when Russian and Chinese fighters were conducting mock strafing runs. If you can't respect the judgment of our Naval officers in these situations then you definitely do not understand the situation.
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SN Greg Wright
MAJ James Woods - Again, you couldn't be more wrong. I posted about that very incident myself, here on RP, and flat-out stated that those aircraft were perfectly within their legal rights of passage for what they did (which is true right up until they light off targeting radar, which you can be sure they didn't.) So once again, you're wrong, I don't think they should have been fired upon. I'll expect an apology when you see it. Totally different situation. And for a military officer to say that the CiC's administration (read: SECDEF / SECXXX) has no impact on ROE is baffling, to say the least. Finally, I, better than you, having spent 4 years of my life in the presence of Naval officers, and often, as an intel weenie, advising and directing them (with comms), am very well aware of how capable and astute they are.
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Alan K.
SP5 Mark Kuzinski - I think after the first week we have set the tone for how this Sheriff walks.....He wants results...Period
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