Two news items caught our eye if one is looking for the global dynamics from the Middle East.
On the one hand, the United States is moving military families from Turkey in response to “violence” in the area.
This does raise questions about the value of the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to the United States.
According to Stars and Stripes in a story published March 29 2016:
The Pentagon is ordering nearly 700 military family members to leave Incirlik Air Base and two smaller military installations in Turkey because of concerns over the deteriorating security environment there.
Families are expected to begin leaving Turkey on Wednesday, stopping first at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, before continuing on to the States or other duty locations, U.S. European Command told Stars and Stripes.
“We understand this is disruptive to our military families, but we must keep them safe and ensure the combat effectiveness of our forces to support our strong ally Turkey in the fight against terrorism,” EUCOM chief Gen. Philip Breedlove said Tuesday in a statement.
The mandatory departure order, announced by the State Department, affects nearly all Defense Department dependents assigned to Incirlik, as well as those at smaller bases in Izmir and Mugla. The families of U.S. diplomats in the same areas also are ordered to depart.
http://www.stripes.com/hundreds-of-military-dependents-ordered-to-leave-turkey-1.401622
US families’ maybe leaving from Turkey, but the Iranian Navy is coming our way.
According to a story published April 3, 2016 in Arutz Sheva, Iran announces a naval deployment to Latin America. Apparently, the Iranians want to follow on the heals of the President’s visit to make their own message heard.
Iranian Army Commander Maj. Gen. Ataollah Salehi on Saturday announced that Iran intends to deploy warships and destroyers in Latin America, in a sign of the attempts of the leading state sponsor of terror to expand its military cooperation with countries opposing the US.
“We intend to take a longer stride in marine voyages and even go towards friendly states in Latin America,” Salehi told reporters at the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Speaking at a ceremony welcoming back the Iranian Navy’s 38th fleet after 75 days of international deployment, he said Iran intends to increase its cooperation with the navies of Latin American states.
“The Navy is capable of deploying in that region,” he asserted, while saying Iran is placing a priority on updating its navy with state-of-the-art weapons.
Iranian Naval Ships. Credit: Reuters
Iran has been looking to expand ties with Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia.
According to the Iranian semi-official Fars, “Iran’s strong and rapidly growing ties with Latin America have raised eyebrows in the US and its western allies since Tehran and Latin nations have forged an alliance against the imperialist and colonialist powers and are striving hard to reinvigorate their relations with the other independent countries which pursue a line of policy independent from the US.”
The move to create an axis “against the colonialist powers” continues Iran’s position of hostility against the US, which has strengthened more and more ever since the controversial nuclear deal signed last July. Israel has warned the deal paves Tehran’s way to a nuclear weapon.
Just last month Iran indicated it intends to rapidly expand its naval powers, mere days after US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a warning call to Iran about its repeated missile tests breaching UN and US sanctions.
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