Commenting on the recent deployment of two US assault ships into the
Mediterranean, Russian defense analyst Knostantiv Sivkov has connected
it with the success of the Syrian army in Aleppo and the absence of any
significant progress in the US operation in Iraq's Mosul.
On Thursday, the US Navy released a statement saying that "amphibious
assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and amphibious dock landing ship USS
Whidbey Island (LSD 41) with embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine
Expeditionary Unit (MEU) transited the Suez Canal and entered the US 6th
Fleet area of operations", which is the Mediterranean.
"Travelling through the canal and into the Mediterranean Sea marked a
significant milestone for the 4,000 Sailors and Marines of the Wasp
Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) as they enter the final stages of their
six-month deployment," the statement reads.
Dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) conduct small boat
operations with the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1)
Navy Page
Dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) conduct small boat
operations with the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1)
"After completing our time in 5th Fleet, the Wasp ARG will now be
supporting the maritime security mission in the Mediterranean Sea.
This
sea lane is vital to our global economy, and it remains secure because
of the strong relationships between the navies that operate together
here," according to the statement by Commander of Wasp ARG, Capt. F.
Byron Ogden.
Wasp re-entered US 6th Fleet after having spent over three months
supporting Operation Odyssey Lightning (OOL) in Sirte, Libya, with
precision airstrikes from 22nd MEU aircraft.
Two US Amphibious Assault Ships Deploy in Mediterranean to Back Libya in
Daesh Battle - Navy
Commenting on the re-deployment of the US assault ships, Russian defense
analyst, President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Konstantin
Sivkov told Radio Sputnik that it might be connected with the recent
success of the Syrian army in Aleppo and, conversely, with the lack of
any progress in the US' operation in Iraqi Mosul.
The US might be nurturing plans to enforce its military presence in
Iraq, he further suggested.
"In a normal situation, such a re-deployment is nothing unusual," he
told Sputnik.
"American assault ships are present in the Mediterranean as part of the
US 6th Fleet on a regular basis. But the situation is now critical for
the US, hence the re-deployment of the US assault ships is symbolic and
indicates that the US is nurturing plans for a ground operation in the
region," he said.
The defense analyst further noted that the US has already deployed two
brigades of its airborne forces and one Marine Expeditionary Unit to
retake Mosul, thus the re-deployment of its two assault ships in the
eastern Mediterranean might indicate that Washington might be
considering a ground operation.
Syrian residents fleeing the eastern part of Aleppo walk through a
street in Masaken Hanano, a former rebel-held district which was retaken
by the regime forces last week.
"The situation in the western part of Syria is not developing in the
favor of the US," he said.
"Aleppo is being finally liberated by the Syrian army, which means that
the militants the US bet on as a possible alternative to President
Bashar Assad will soon be defeated. However for the US, their defeat in
Aleppo would be catastrophic as they will lose the tip of the military
spear and won't any longer be able exercise any real political influence
on the ongoing processes in Syria," Sivkov explained.
The possibility of losing control over western Syria is even worse given
the lack of any success in the operation to retake Mosul, he said, Thus
the US might has decided to enforce it ground troops in Iraq.
It might also nurture plans for a joint operation with the Turkish
military forces in Syria, he further suggested.
"The Turkish military are already operating in Syria. The Americans
might now join them," he finally suggested.
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