DoD apparently not concerned with Iranian flyby
According to the Navy Times, an Iranian reconnaissance plane buzzed one of our aircraft carriers on Apr. 21. A Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft circled around the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for approximately 20 minutes before making a low pass. It is unknown whether the Eisenhower took defensive action. U.S. defense officials downplayed the encounter as relatively common.
While the Navy has regular encounters with Iranian aircraft, officials stated that the carrier was operating in an area of the Gulf of Oman where such incidents are far less frequent. The carrier was supporting the war efforts in Afghanistan, and had just finished flight operations and participated in an at-sea resupply.
One unidentified official told the Navy Times, “From our perspective, this is not something to get excited about — this is not out of the ordinary — this is within the bounds of what has happened in the past.”
Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, said the Iranians were “not provocative or threatening.” While that may be true, their president has repeatedly warned world leaders to prepare for “a world without the United States.” When a nation that openly calls for our destruction – and is reportedly developing a nuclear weapon – begins buzzing our aircraft carriers, one would think the Pentagon’s reaction would be sterner.
With that in mind, could Iran’s actions be considered provocative?
“The reports I’ve seen indicate the aircraft flew to ‘within about 1,000 yards of the ship,’ and — though seemingly a bit provocative — this would not be a violation of any written or unwritten international law,” says Lt. Col. W. Thomas Smith Jr., a recognized expert on terrorism and military/national defense issues. “You have to remember that during the Cold War, the Soviets constantly tried to sail close to us and overfly us. We would often have an alert fighter on station that would intercept and sort of shoulder them off.”
In fact, a Russian bomber buzzed another carrier – the USS Nimitz – as another circled nearby back in 2008. During that incident, fighters were launched, but again, Adm. Roughead downplayed the incident, saying “they were just stretching their legs, so to speak.”
How often do similar incidents happen today?
“More so than is published, but probably a lot less than the general public might think,” says Smith. “These kinds of demonstrations on the high seas are really just posturing. The Iranians know they wouldn’t stand a chance in action against the U.S. fleet. And they also know the limits on how much they can posture and generally make a show of force without it being perceived as an immediate or direct threat to our forces.”
What actions – political or military – can be taken to prevent future encounters?
“Nothing really,” Smith says. “Generally speaking, one sovereign state’s navy and air force has just as much right as another to patrol and conduct exercises — even pushing the limits on territory another navy is operating in — in and above international waters.”