H I Sutton Image. Used with permission
The Middle East remains a volatile area for merchant shipping into the new year, according to the analysis of attacks on ships in the region. Read More
Motor Tanker (M/T) Wila, a merchant vessel in international waters en-route to the UAE port of Khor Fakkan, in the Gulf of Oman, was boarded by armed Iranian personnel who fast roped aboard the ship from an Iranian Sea King helicopter as it hovered above on Aug. 12, 2020. US Navy Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
Like the U.S., international navies grappled with not only the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but regional security concerns from China’s naval expansion and operations in the Pacific to Iranian and Russian operations in the Middle East. Read More
An MH-60S KNight Hawk helicopter, from the ‘Screamin’ Indians’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, conducts flight control checks on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). U.S. Navy Photo
This story has been updated to clarify USS Nimitz’s (CVN-68) deployment to U.S. 5th Fleet.
Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is now back in the Middle East after conducting an exercise series with the Indian Navy, a spokesperson with U.S. 5th Fleet told USNI News on Monday. Read More
The following is the Nov. 23, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, Arms Sales in the Middle East: Trends and Analytical Perspectives for U.S. Policy. Read More
HI Sutton Image used with permission
Emblazoned with the pennant number “1” in on its superstructure, Shahid Roudaki joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) as its latest and most visible warship during a ceremony held in Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Read More
DoD Photo
Monday’s removal of Defense Secretary Mark Esper adds more uncertainty as to what adversaries may try and what allies can expect from Washington in the always tricky transition of presidential power, national security experts at the Atlantic Council said Tuesday. Read More
HI Sutton Image used with permission
The Red Sea forms a physical and geopolitical choke point on much of the world’s trade. At its northern end the Suez Canal constricts the flow of ships, and at the southern end the Bab el-Mandeb Strait does. Millions of barrels of oil and other critically important goods transit the Red Sea every year, much of it destined for North America and Europe. Read More
HI Sutton Image used with permission
Last week, the Iranian-flagged oil tanker Samah entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. After a few miles, the 900-foot-long ship stopped reporting its position and destination. Evidence suggests the ship sailed to Syria, escorted by two Russian Navy ships, including a destroyer. Read More
CRS Image
Iraq faces “the most acute and immediate” threat from Iranian-backed militias, a top State Department official said last week. Read More
The following is the Sept. 29, 2020 Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Iraq and U.S. Policy Read More
