There are two Marine-supporting naval task forces steaming toward the Strait of Hormuz, seeking to open up the critical choke point and, perhaps permanently, put it under U.S. control.
In the last two weeks, the Iranians have attacked more than 25 merchant ships, and 150 merchant ships are standing off, waiting for the crisis to pass.
The Strait of Hormuz is easily the most important choke point in the world, since 20 percent of the world’s crude oil passes through it before passing through the Straits of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia toward Northeast Asia, or through the “Gates of Hell,” Bab el-Mandeb, the straits that lead to the base of the Red Sea and eventually through the Suez Canal to Europe.
West Texas Intermediate Crude, a benchmark in the oil commodity markets, was trading at $65 per barrel Feb. 26, just on the eve of Operation Epic Fury, and now it trades at or around $100. Oil affects almost everything else, so control of the Strait of Hormuz is not just a war aim; it is an economic shock to the world economy.
President Donald J. Trump has used naval and air power flawlessly, but boots on the ground have always been the other shoe to drop. The president told the Kurdish militia to stand down, and he has seemed to rule out a march on Tehran. However, faced with an oil crisis, the president is ready to call the Marines.
At or around March 13, USS Tripoli and its retinue, operating out of Okinawa, were patrolling off Taiwan when they were diverted to the passageway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Traveling roughly 20 knots per hour, the task force is expected to be on station by early April.
The Tripoli-led task force functions as a miniature version of the super carrier strike groups, with Tripoli, a 45,000-ton big deck, roughly the same size as France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier, with F-35Bs, MV-22 Ospreys, and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, in addition to 2,500 personnel assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.
A MEU is a self-contained and supporting demi-brigade with a full infantry battalion, artillery, and engineers. As a true aircraft carrier, Tripoli does not have Marine air-cushioned landing craft, so those are carried on USS San Diego and USS New Orleans, which can also launch and land the MV-22s.
Joining the Tripoli-led task force is the USS Boxer-led task force, with a similar configuration, which was underway from its San Diego homeport March 18. It is expected to arrive on station by the middle of April.
Once the Marines are in place, they will have a range of options, specifically to seize the islands and/or seize mainland territory along the Hormozgan Province coast, which faces both sides of the strait. On the east end of Hormozgan, the city of Jask is the site of major Iranian naval and drone facilities, along with military headquarters.
In another time, the Portuguese controlled the strait for 155 years from their fort on Kharg Island, which is now an Iranian hub of oil transportation and military infrastructure, however severely degraded by U.S. attacks. Other islands in the strait, such as Qeshm, Larak, and Greater and Lesser Tunb, offer places where Marines can set up a base camp for further operations.
The key is stopping the attacks on merchant shipping, and these attacks are coming from island-based drones, small boats, and missiles launched from Hormozgan proper. U.S. forces have made tremendous progress against the Iranian regime with naval and air forces, but to have a lasting impact, you need boots—and here they come.