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Major US military moves in Persian Gulf

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    Navy readies for massive minesweeping exercise

  • Duration 6:34
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All right now from major military moves in the Persian gulf with the Pentagon reportedly building a missile radar station and a so called secret site and tighter.

Fox News has yet to confirm that but we have confirmed the navy will conduct -- massive mine sweeping exercises in the region in just a few short months from now.

All this coming one day after a deadly altercation in the waters off to -- A US ship opening fire on a small boat racing towards it after that vote ignored repeated warnings to turn back.

He's now just sex -- retired vice admiral of the US navy spent quite at a time in the Persian gulf.

-- -- -- in congress not to with us retired captain Chuck Nash he sued the navy for 25 years he's -- Fox News military analysts.

A nice have you both with us today -- be -- -- you most -- -- -- -- the start with you -- these mine sweeping exercises sometimes.

Those exercises are called war games what exactly.

Are we aiming to do.

Well the fifth fleet has had a contingency plan for decades.

To keep the straits of Hormuz open -- one of the critical things that the Iranians could do to close those straits.

Is to hold it.

Hostage if you will buy surface to surface missiles fired from the shore line.

And or seed naval mines into the waters of the Persian gulf and the straits of Hormuz so.

That as any part of the contingency plan the US navy has to include -- that the ability to sweep those waters clear of those mines.

And that's why the navy has exercised that capability funded that capability and has beefed up that capability recently.

Our senior and has recently.

And the Persian gulf in early two thousands as you were deployed to that area did you do this as well.

Yes we conducted operations there with the golf cooperatives council states in order to make sure that we -- to address this issue.

This is a type of a symmetric warfare.

The Iranians -- -- symmetric warfare.

It means that they buy very cheap stuff.

That can do great damage and take us a lot of time if we don't want that damage to be done to clear Hansel -- but they have over 2000 pretty sophisticated.

A relatively inexpensive minds to put into transit lanes and only a couple miles wide -- in the streets of removes.

He would take us months in order to clear them.

If we don't destroy the fishing vessels and often drop them off -- fishing vessels first second -- of several hundred.

Missiles that can land in Saudi Arabia into Israel even to southern Turkey and that's why you.

As you said to begin -- this interview.

We are putting out there are some better missile acquiring radar and why the second aircraft carrier battle group that is going to come into the golf we'll have additional.

Guided missile destroyers that can then shoot down these missiles they come across but is basically.

A missile against a missile that's pretty tough so you can procure are cheaper stuff that it's hard to defend against and we do what you -- but what will it take.

Long and time heavy in assets let's -- very difficult environment.

Let me ask captain Nash about this because it obviously according to the congressman's I description of this -- Nash were taken the Iran means pretty seriously mean there's ever a real serious concern.

About -- -- minds in the Strait of Hormuz do you think and they are taking us as seriously.

I think they are but at the same time.

The west has let Iran skate.

If you will four decades.

And it's been US administration after US administration.

It it always seems that the Iranians.

Do something belligerent.

We get real man -- strong statement the United Nations.

Sanctions and then all of a sudden there -- twenty.

Exceptions to the sanction rules so the Iranians have been like a very bad kid growing up in the neighborhood.

We -- that people in the neighborhood look at this -- go you know we don't like what we're seeing here -- now all of a sudden that kid who's been acting out more and more over the decades.

Now is a teenager and has really serious weaponry and now the neighborhood's really scared so we we ended in the west.

And those in the neighborhood of sort of brought this on themselves.

And using a congressman this dysfunctional child at Kat Nash to put it is putting it now could potentially have nuclear weapon.

Which is you know changes the stakes in these sayings and yes is continuing that and how -- if you well.

If there's no threat ascending to come when a child is misbehaving.

Then they're never going to change so we can send -- when he aircraft carriers in this area.

If they don't really believe that we're gonna use them then will we ever changed his pattern of behavior and how -- -- -- -- You're actually right the use our military.

Has too when -- -- Be done in the correct manner and be successful to have credibility but the overarching issue which chuck brings up is.

Should we over administrations have been putting crippling economic and diplomatic financial travel sanctions upon I ran much earlier yes.

Now this -- occurred over this past year.

As you well know the value of the -- of the currency and I -- has dropped like a rock inflation is -- -- unemployment is going overboard.

It can even export its oil now on its own chips right now because we have all gotten Lloyd's of London to say they're not safe to -- -- foreign ports.

So finally.

-- -- points we're trying to do what's right.

-- devastating economic financial sanctions because I believe the military option should never be off the table.

But -- -- be on the back of the table I wish as he does that we had done this with the support of the EU China and others much earlier.

I want to make sure before we put men and women into harm's way however that we first tried to resolve this.

Diplomatically can't say it's -- -- work but that's why we are being prudent to build up our military to make sure we have to do it we do it.

Well Paterson is interesting you bring up now with the oil tankers and whether or not we're crippling Iran we have an investigative journalist coming on our show -- about an hour who says she has -- That the running entered disguising their ships and getting oil -- -- the country in continuing to do business so this is.

I don't its interest.

You're absolutely right on that points -- S 39 oil tankers now just because they can't going to foreign ports and nobody will carry Iranian -- -- we won't give them insurance and other tankers.

They are finding some of these black listed tankers to try to sneak -- -- we've got to cut that down also.

We'll see what we can do at this point continue to talk more about it hopefully here and maybe talk less about it on the national stage I -- NASDAQ thank you so much -- and Nash nice to have you as well thanks gentlemen thank you.

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