US Warships Moves Into Red Sea Closer To Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The USS Nimitz aircraft
carrier and four other ships in its strike group moved
into the Red Sea early on Monday, U.S. defense officials
said, describing the move as "prudent planning" in case
the ships are needed for military action against Syria.
The officials said the Nimitz entered the Red Sea
around 6 a.m. EDT, but the strike group had not
received any orders to move into the Mediterranean,
where five U.S. destroyers and an amphibious ship
remain poised for possible cruise missile strikes against
Syria.
Moving the Nimitz into the Red Sea was aimed at
putting more U.S. assets in place if they are needed to
support what U.S. officials still describe as a limited
attack against Syria after it used chemical weapons
against civilians.
"It does place that strike group in a position to respond
to a variety of contingencies," said one official, who was
not authorized to speak publicly.
The nuclear-powered Nimitz is accompanied by the
Princeton, a cruiser, and three destroyers - the William
P. Lawrence, Stockdale and Shoup, according to the
officials.
They said there had been no change regarding six U.S.
Navy ships now in the eastern Mediterranean, but
military planners were reassessing the situation given a
delay in the cruise missile strikes that had been
expected this past weekend.
President Barack Obama on Saturday backed off
imminent strikes by five destroyers off the coast of
Syria until Congress had time to vote its approval.
Defense officials said the delay gave them more time to
reassess which ships and other weapons will be kept in
the region - and whether some may be allowed to leave.
Congress returns to Washington September 9.
The U.S. Navy doubled its presence in the eastern
Mediterranean in the past week, effectively adding two
destroyers to the three that generally patrol the region.
The destroyers are carrying a combined load of about
200 Tomahawk missiles, but officials say a limited
strike on Syria could be accomplished with half that
number.
Reuters reported Sunday that officials had rerouted the
Nimitz carrier group, which was due to sail east around
Asia to return to its home port in Everett, Washington,
after being relieved in recent days by another aircraft
carrier, the USS
Officials said the USS Kearsarge, a large-deck
amphibious ship, remained in North Arabian Sea, and
there were no plans to move the ship into the Red Sea.
The Kearsarge, which carries 6 AV-8B Harriers, 10-12
V-22 Ospreys and helicopters, played a key role in the
2011 strikes on Libya. Two Ospreys launched from the
ship helped rescue a downed F-15 pilot during that
operation.