Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: gnb@bby.oz.au (Gregory N. Bond)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: US Naval Forces in Gulf, Air Nat'l Gaurd units.
Message-ID: <1990Aug24.034424.1521@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 24 Aug 90 03:44:24 GMT
References: <1990Aug11.015150.19844@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Burdett, Buckeridge and Young Ltd.
Lines: 37
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: gnb@bby.oz.au (Gregory N. Bond)
>>>>> On 15 Aug 90, macko@police.rutgers.edu (Peter C. Macko) said:

Peter> On top of that, the English, the Canadians, the Russians, and
Peter> the Australians have also sent ships into the region.
[...]
Peter> With the exception of the Russians, these forces have agreed to
Peter> assist the Americans in a "quarantine" or as Bush puts it:
Peter> "interdiction".

The Australian contingent consists of two FFG7 guided missile frigates
(the HMAS Darwin and HMAS Adelaide).  They carry "76mm gun, Standard
SAM, Harpoon SSM, Antisubmarine torpedoes, Phalanx CIWS"*.  Also going
is a fleet oiler (HMAS Success).  They have put a couple of Army Air
Defense units on the Success for air cover (using RBS 70 SAMs).

Exact ROEs haven't been released yet, but the hand-waving from the
pollies indicates the fleet will be involved in "tracking, identifying
and warning" outside the Gulf, but not (as yet) in firing on or
boarding civilian shipping bound for Iraq or Jordan.  US is in
command, but Australian commanders can (and will) refuse orders to
fire on things.

As an aside, this may be the first Australian naval action since WWII
(Brian?), and none of the staff officers would have any combat
experience, let alone the ship commanders....

(* Source: "Defense Report 1988-89", the report to Parliament from the
DOD)

Greg.
--
Gregory Bond, Burdett Buckeridge & Young Ltd, Melbourne, Australia
Internet: gnb@melba.bby.oz.au    non-MX: gnb%melba.bby.oz@uunet.uu.net
Uucp: {uunet,pyramid,ubc-cs,ukc,mcvax,prlb2,nttlab...}!munnari!melba.bby.oz!gnb