U.S. Navy and Special Operations Telegraph Message to Tehran by Carl Prine – Navy Times
What do you get when you combine a Special Operations AC-130W Stinger II gunship with the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon recon plane and a patrol coastal ship?
A big boom and a spray of debris.
A joint exercise launched March 8 and 9 in the Persian Gulf involving the Cyclone-class Monsoon and the two aircraft was designed to see how well a surface patrol ship and a long-range spy plane could select targets in the Persian Gulf for a Special Operations Command Central gunship to blast to bits.
The scenario envisioned the U.S. forces providing maritime security, such as during convoy operations, in contested waters.
“Our surface forces integrating with aircraft that have the firepower of an AC-130W brings a capability to the joint force that profoundly enhances our lethality in the maritime environment. The addition of the gunship to the joint maritime battle significantly enhances our ability to detect, track, engage and defeat surface threats in order to control water space in the Arabian Gulf,” said Capt. Peter Mirisola — the commander of Destroyer Squadron 50 and Combined Task Force 55 — in a prepared statement released Sunday…