Iran Able To Block Strait Of Hormuz, General Dempsey Says On CBS
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...rait-of-hormuz-general-dempsey-tells-cbs.html
<b>Iran has the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz âfor a period of time,â and the U.S. would take action to reopen it, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey said.
âTheyâve invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a period of time block the Strait of Hormuz,â Dempsey said in an interview aired yesterday on the CBS âFace the Nationâ program. âWeâve invested in capabilities to ensure that if that happens, we can defeat that.â
should Iran try to close Hormuz, the U.S. âwould take action and reopenâ the waterway, said Dempsey, President Barack Obamaâs top military adviser. </b>
Blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping lane linking the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf, would constitute a âred lineâ for the U.S., as would Iranian efforts to build a nuclear weapon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on the same program.
Dempsey suggested that curbing Iranâs nuclear work by bombing its facilities would be difficult.
âIâd rather not discuss the degree of difficulty and in any way encourage them to read anything into that,â Dempsey said. âMy responsibility is to encourage the right degree of planning, to understand the risks associated with any kind of military option.â
Israeli Strike
<b>Should Israel decide to undertake a unilateral military strike against Iran, the U.S. priority would be protecting American troops in the region, Panetta said.
Dempsey and Panetta sought on CBS to provide assurances that the new U.S. military strategy, announced last week, wonât limit the U.S. ability to stop aggressors.
âWhat weâre looking to do here is not constrain ourselves to a two-war construct, but rather build a force that has the kind of agilityâ needed to adapt to any scenario, Dempsey said. Previous U.S. war planning called for preparing to fight two conventional wars simultaneously. </b>
The plan was driven by the need to cut almost $490 billion from projected Pentagon spending through 2021, including about $261 billion through 2017. Panetta said last week the details wonât be released until the Pentagon presents its 2013 budget request to Congress by early February.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...rait-of-hormuz-general-dempsey-tells-cbs.html
<b>Iran has the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz âfor a period of time,â and the U.S. would take action to reopen it, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Martin Dempsey said.
âTheyâve invested in capabilities that could, in fact, for a period of time block the Strait of Hormuz,â Dempsey said in an interview aired yesterday on the CBS âFace the Nationâ program. âWeâve invested in capabilities to ensure that if that happens, we can defeat that.â
should Iran try to close Hormuz, the U.S. âwould take action and reopenâ the waterway, said Dempsey, President Barack Obamaâs top military adviser. </b>
Blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping lane linking the Gulf of Oman with the Persian Gulf, would constitute a âred lineâ for the U.S., as would Iranian efforts to build a nuclear weapon, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on the same program.
Dempsey suggested that curbing Iranâs nuclear work by bombing its facilities would be difficult.
âIâd rather not discuss the degree of difficulty and in any way encourage them to read anything into that,â Dempsey said. âMy responsibility is to encourage the right degree of planning, to understand the risks associated with any kind of military option.â
Israeli Strike
<b>Should Israel decide to undertake a unilateral military strike against Iran, the U.S. priority would be protecting American troops in the region, Panetta said.
Dempsey and Panetta sought on CBS to provide assurances that the new U.S. military strategy, announced last week, wonât limit the U.S. ability to stop aggressors.
âWhat weâre looking to do here is not constrain ourselves to a two-war construct, but rather build a force that has the kind of agilityâ needed to adapt to any scenario, Dempsey said. Previous U.S. war planning called for preparing to fight two conventional wars simultaneously. </b>
The plan was driven by the need to cut almost $490 billion from projected Pentagon spending through 2021, including about $261 billion through 2017. Panetta said last week the details wonât be released until the Pentagon presents its 2013 budget request to Congress by early February.
