The second US aircraft carrier that arrived near the Gulf in late February is focusing its operations on supporting coalition ground forces in Afghanistan and is not targeting Iran, its top commanders said. The nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis had entered the Bahrain-based US Navy 5th Fleet area of responsibility on February 19, taking position in the northern Arabian Sea.
Its arrival marked the first time since the 2003 Iraq war that the US had deployed two carriers in the region at the same time.
The deployment of the Stennis alongside the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower had fuelled speculation that the US was planning to attack Iran, a claim that top US Naval officials in the region have refuted repeatedly.
Speculations over an impending attack were intensified in recent days after British naval officials revealed that their presence since October had doubled, with a French aircraft carrier steaming towards the region.
"Our mission right now is specifically focused on Afghanistan to provide the air support for the ground coalition troops there," said the commanding officer of the Stennis, Captain Bradley E Johanson, on February 27, as the carrier launched its planes into action for the fifth straight day over Afghanistan.
"Our positioning is specifically focused to be adjacent to the air corridors that go over Pakistan into Afghanistan," he said, pointing out that coalition efforts in Afghanistan were aimed at stabilizing the country and establishing the foundation for democracy.
Johanson, saying that the US Navy could provide assistance for operations in Iraq if called upon, added he was not directly concerned with the on-going Iranian military exercises, as they were operating in international waters outside the Gulf.
"The increased presence in the area is because we have five important missions going in the region right now. There is Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the situation in Somalia, operations in Iraq, maritime security operations, and joint training exercises with regional allies," he said.
Johanson said that the presence of the second carrier helped relief the pressure on the first and at the same time ensured all operations received adequate attention.
The commander of the carrier air wing, Captain Sterling G Gilliam, confirmed their deployment was part of a routine operation to support coalition efforts in Afghanistan.
"Right now we are just focused on supporting the war on terror and providing support for our forces on the ground in Afghanistan - that is singularly what we are doing with our missions," said Gilliam, who heads the eight-squadron-strong Air Wing Nine.
"Typically, we are flying combat or close air support for coalition troops in Afghanistan," Gilliam explained, adding that having two carriers here allowed them the flexibility to conduct other missions, such as the recent mission in Somalia.
Downplaying any immediate concerns about Iranian military exercises, Gilliam said the coalition presence was to ensure stability and security.
The USS John C Stennis Carrier Strike Group started its missions over Afghanistan on February 23.
The outgoing Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command and the Bahrain-based US Navy 5th Fleet, Vice Admiral Patrick Walsh, said this was an unprecedented time of instability and insecurity in the region with tension in Somalia, Lebanon, the Eastern Mediterranean, Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran.
He denied reports of a US naval offensive military build-up in the region, describing the added capabilities as defensive ones and affirming that the coalition was keeping a close watch on increasing Iranian naval exercises in the Gulf.
Iran's refusal to suspend work on enriching uranium had raised concerns about Tehran's intentions as well as fears that they would seek to build a nuclear bomb. Tehran and Washington find themselves in a stalemate situation as the Iranians continue to claim that their programme is peaceful.
