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UK to boost Persian Gulf naval
presence
DPA
Tuesday Aug 28, 2007
Britain is planning to increase its naval presence in the
Persian Gulf by next year, a top British naval commander in the
area has revealed.
Deputy Combined Force Commander Royal Navy Commodore Keith Winstanley
said Monday that Britain has a range of capabilities deployed
at various times in the region ranging between submarines, frigates,
and destroyers, and that it plans to increase its naval presence
by 2008.
"We will be improving and uplifting that presence next year,
so you can expect to see more mine counter-measure vessels in
the [Persian] Gulf. We will also put some ships in the Indian
Ocean to work with both the Indians and Pakistanis, so they are
not all held in this area but they are able to come back to operate
as part of the coalition should we require."
"Most significantly at the moment is the mine counter-measure
vessels, and since November of last year we have maintained a
permanent two-ship presence rather like the US Navy in their permanent
presence," he said.
(Article continues below)
Winstanley, speaking onboard the amphibious assault ship USS
Bonhomme Richard, added that strategic and economic interests
had brought about a policy of engagement by Britain in the region.
"The UK maritime presence is enduring and part of the coalition
and it's in support of the freedom of navigation throughout the
area," he said.
The commodore's comments came following mine counter-measure
exercises for coalition forces in the Persian Gulf, where US and
British ships worked to locate and destroy fake mines using a
host of air, sea, and underwater capabilities.
Coalition commanders emphasized that the training and expected
increase were not designed against any country or countries in
the region but as a prudent step against possible threats.
They said the measures provide added force protection to the
coalition ships and enable them to better ensure the safety of
oil platforms and maritime routes, through which much of the world
oil supply passes.
The last time there were active mine counter-measures in the
region was in March of 2003.
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