The maritime threat in the Middle East posed by Iran will require the Navy to strengthen its presence for anti-ship missile defenses and at countering mines and small fast attack boats, Marine Gen. James Mattis, the chief of U.S. Central Command, said yesterday.
Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee in written testimony that capabilities pursued by Iran will require a forceful naval presence in Central Command’s area of responsibility (AOR) as the U.S. ground-based footprint in the region shrinks.
“The stacked Iranian threats in our AOR of ballistic missiles, long range rockets, mines, small boats, cruise missiles and submarines demand stronger naval presence and capability to protect vital sea lines of communication,” Mattis said.
“Demands on our naval forces will only grow in the future,” he said. “I anticipate that we will need more maritime missile defense, anti-fast attack craft capabilities, amphibious ships and mine-countermeasure capability, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets.”
Iran earlier this year threatened to cut off passage through the Strait of Hormuz and warned the United States against deploying carrier battle groups through the key waterway. Iran eventually backed off the threat and the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) aircraft carrier passed through the strait without incident in January. Iran in the past has used small boats to shadow or harass naval vessels.
Sustaining the Navy’s role in the Middle East is “vital for reassuring our partners, deterring those with malign intent and tempering destructive actors from fermenting trouble in (Central Command’s) region,” Mattis said.