Neocon Sandwich: U.S. Building Military Base Directly Atop Iraqi Oil Platform

From the Wall Street Journal:

The U.S. Navy is building a military installation atop this petroleum-export platform as the U.S. establishes a more lasting military mission in the oil-rich north Persian Gulf.

While presidential candidates debate whether to start bringing ground troops home from Iraq, the new construction suggests that one footprint of U.S. military power in Iraq isn't shrinking anytime soon: American officials are girding for an open-ended commitment to protect the country's oil industry.

That is a sea change for the U.S., which has patrolled these waters for decades. In the past, American warships and their allies flexed the West's military might in the Persian Gulf to demonstrate a broad commitment to protect the region, which produces almost a third of the world's oil. President Jimmy Carter codified the doctrine in 1980 in response to a perceived Soviet threat.

Now, amid rising prices -- oil futures finished Friday at $96.32 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up 86 cents -- and new vulnerabilities in the world's stretched oil-supply chain -- from militants in Nigeria to occasional Iranian threats to disrupt Persian Gulf shipping -- the Navy finds itself with an additional, much more specific role: playing security guard to Iraq's offshore oil infrastructure. [...]

The new installation will house U.S., British and Australian officers and sailors. The Pentagon has said it has no intention of building permanent U.S. bases in Iraq, and Navy officials say they intend to turn over the facility to Iraqi forces as soon as they can run it on their own.

But Iraqi forces are a long way from being able to take over the mission, Navy officials say. Iraqi patrol boats are on the water assisting in sector patrols around the terminals. But they are rusting hulks. Iraqi soldiers stationed on the terminals have just recently started training with live ammunition. "They are going to need help for years to come," Adm. Cosgriff says.

So for the time being, the new base will serve as a U.S.-controlled command post straddling a major component of Iraq's creaking oil industry. From a collection of modified shipping containers, coalition officers will monitor ship traffic and coordinate the movement of coalition warships circling "Kaaot" and "Abot," as the military has nicknamed the two terminals.

Read the full story here.

Comments

[mouselion]

...and, no support at all for the development and use of alternative energy sources by our Democratic-lead congress?

This ain't my America!

[Libsrule]

It's not OUR oil supply. It's the profits of the oil barons who are fucking us right into the ground and laughing their asses off at us for being so goddamned stupid as to pay for the war to protect their obscene profits.

We are now being duped by this criminally insane president and big oil into using our military to protect their product.

Why?

Because they own our White House, lock stock and barrel and Bush is their poodle.

Want to see a change in attitude?

Take away all the protection from those greedy fucking bastards in big oil and make them all move to Iraq to live and see how fast they start crying and promising to lower the prices.

They live here or in other Western democracies like Sultans and Kings and then piss on us and try and tell us it's raining and use our troops to protect their profits from countries where they wouldn't live on a bet.

Good lord but what is it going to take to make American citizens wake up?

Why are there even 28 percenters supporting this fucking moron of a president? His support should be down to his dog. Hell his wife should be leaving him for causing all the death and destruction in the world.

But she won't. She loves being first lady and living like a small goddess and if that price means pretending to give a damn about all the dead and wounded soldiers and death and destruction in Iraq, then she could care less.

[jmc42]

*

The Iraqis need to blow up the entire rig.

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[serialcoma]

Does anyone believe Jefferson, Washington or Lincoln ever envisioned the United States as the world's most evil empire?

[Driver125]

NotGuilty:

If I'm not mistaken Halliburton has already packed up the car and moved to.......
What word rhymes with
DUBAI ??!!??!!??

[OilWarsDotCom]

Read Dynasty of Death - The bush family

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=EBB20061022&articleId=3558

[Sundialsvc4]

Now, let's ask who's building it. For example.

As "Ike" warned us in 1961, the military industrialists have permeated this government and continue to do so. For all the talk about Iraq and the-war and so-on, things like this are quietly marching through Congress and not a word is said. In other words, to some degree "the war" is once again being used as a foil.

And billions and billions of dollars in profits are being funneled.

[LiberalRebel2]

Ok, I suppose that a lot of people will go, So what? We need to protect them right?
But see, that is not the achiles heel here. This proves beyong all doubts that this was the plan al along. I am so freakin tired of trying to point out the obvious for hard core fanatics that I will simply state this. How does it feel to pay for this all with the blood of your own countrymen? And are you so blind as not being able to understand why you are so hated world wide? SO hated in fact, that even in the traditionally American friendly region from where I am(Scandinavia including Norway, Sweden and Finland) we these days rather turn our backs to any one visiting who has the slightest American accent in their spoken English.
See them days of forcing other sovereign Nations to kneel are over. Having a colony is acting as a Dictator kind of Nation in it self. So if you feel like going on with building war mongering installments please do so. The faster your dollar plunges down and our united Euro and them Asian currencies keeps on surpassing the American dollar, the better. So, for what is best for the rest of the world....sink!

[ALHayes]

Okay people, now is there anyone left who questions why we are in Iraq? How transparent does it all have to get! No more blood for oil!

[realitytrumpsbull]

At least they're being honest about why
they're there, now...

[ibsteve2u]

American servicemembers have to die to protect our "strategic interests"; i.e., our oil supply, "because it is vital to our national interests" to not run out of energy.

So when do the prosecutions for treason start against anybody who has ever blocked or attempted to block alternative energy research or the development and enforcement of energy conservation measures?

You know, like CAFE (fuel efficency) standards for cars and trucks produced in or imported into the United States?

The transformation of hypocrisy into a deadly art form - that is the true achievement of the Republican Party.

[rollingdivision]

This is a good idea. The US should have military bases in Iraq as long as it's in the best long term interests of the US and Iraq. That may mean for decades and that would be fine.

[Macready]

another waste of taxpayers money . . . wonder who has the contract to build this . . . halliburton??? is it a Carlyle Group funded project? occupation is the watch word for the tissue of lies known as american democracy . . . the chimp and cheney are certainly ensuring WWIII . . . Congress impeach and stop this project . . .

[Macready]

these guys will make a very easy target . . .