USS Nimitz Heading Closer To Syria, No Orders Yet

With the tough decision on whether to enter Syria still to come from President Obama, it appears that the USS Nimitz has already set sail and is headed in that direction. The carrier has been set in p...
USS Nimitz Heading Closer To Syria, No Orders Yet
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  • With the tough decision on whether to enter Syria still to come from President Obama, it appears that the USS Nimitz has already set sail and is headed in that direction. The carrier has been set in place simply as an act to be prepared with its current status. With no orders to attack, it is just there waiting, in case something should happen. The U.S. naval ship has moved into the Red Sea, but is not ready to be part of a plan to attack at this point. The recent story has been the hot topic all over the news lately, with the big controversy being whether or not the U.S should intervene in Syria or not.

    It is alleged that Syria has been using chemical weapons on its civilians, and like the United States always seems to want to do, there may soon be a plan in place for military assistance for the people of Syria. This could work out well, although some people certainly fear that something like the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan could happen again and that it may not be the best idea to intervene. It is a decision that could be very important in President Obama’s career and what he decides to do could have a great effect on the country.

    In a report from ABC news, it was reported that President Obama announced that he had decided upon military action against Syria, but that he would first seek authorization from Congress. Last Wednesday, the USS Nimitz and four other ships in its strike group were kept in the Indian Ocean, as the likelihood of entering Syria continues to increase. The move to decide to seek authorization from Congress effectively put any future military strike on hold, since Congress does not return until September 9th. Defense officials said the delay will give them more time to assess the situation, specifically, which ships will be kept in the region and whether some may be allowed to leave. The Nimitz carrier group had previously been stationed in order to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan, but was due to return to its home port in Everett, Washington before being rerouted.

    Officials were unnamed, due to the seriousness of the situation it seems, but one reported to Reuters UK that “It’s about leveraging the assets to have them in place should the capabilities of the carrier strike group and the presence be needed.”

    The Navy has also rerouted another ship to join the previous five destroyers heading in Syria’s direction, the USS San Antonio, a ship that holds 300 marines as well as extensive communication equipment. This could be used to provide a temporary base for special operations forces, if they were needed.

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