N EWS & TR E ND S
(aircraft carrier) U.S.S. Enterprise from the commanding officer and rear admiral all away down and they were 100 per- cent confident in their ability to respond and react if Iran did take the step to close down the straight, which is what they have threatened so many times. This is interna- tional water it's essential that stays open to commerce. It's not just about the 20 percent of the world's oil or the 17 mil- lion barrels a day that goes through the straight—it's about all of the commerce. Food products—everything they (the Gulf nations) need—travels through this water- way and it has to stay open. They also felt to a person that it was essential for them to be there and to continue with the show of force saying we are here to make sure that stays open. And, I'm not sure there is anyone else that can really communicate that message as effectively.
NPN/FON: What were some of the scenarios discussed as to what they might expect from Iranian hostilities? Francis: They didn't want to get too specific on that saying that it's hard to get inside the mind of the enemy, but of course they prepare for this all the time. We got a varying degree of answers as to how long it would take to reopen the straight or what it would look like but I believe it would be very difficult for them to keep it closed for any extended period of time. The strike group that we were with was so enormous. It was pretty incredible—every hour-and-a-half they had strike missions going out providing cover for the forces in Afghanistan. It was a tremendous show of power and it was very impressive.
NPN/FON: Was there any feeling on the like- lihood of an Israeli action? Francis: There was a very different tone on the Enterprise versus off the Enterprise. On the Enterprise they were very calm and business as usual. We asked them what it was like being out here given the rising tension and their response was you are the ones talking about the rising ten- sion. We see that in the media, but to us we are here conducting our mission and
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we're going about our business every day. The flipside of that, is I also sat down with Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, the spokesman for Bahrain, and spoke with him about how important is it to have the fifth fleet there. Of course, they are facing their own troubles internally
as they struggle for democracy. (He) said the tensions with Iran are rising and Iran is getting very close to having a nuclear weapon that will completely destabilize the region and be a huge threat. They need the Americans there and are happy to have them there.
