The United States will maintain sufficient maritime and air assets in the Persian Gulf region to deter or, if necessary, prevent Iran from interfering with American commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the newly confirmed defense secretary said on his first day on the job.
“We will escort our ships to the degree that the risk demands it. And I assume that other countries will escort their ships,” Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday, just three hours into his first workday, following Senate confirmation Tuesday.
Esper said he does not envision escorts that would flank or follow commercial ships but rather that the military would keep close tabs on any U.S. ships moving through the strait to make sure American warships or air power are in a position to intervene.
That itself should deter the Iranians from any provocative actions, he said.
“To the degree, of course, United States vessels need an escort, we will be there. We’ll be available to them,” Esper said. “I use ‘escort’ broadly, right. Escort doesn’t mean they’re following right behind, but as long as you’re in the area that you can react quick enough to deter the provocation, that’s the key.”
Esper said he will travel to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, next week to get a briefing on the concept of operations for what’s been dubbed “Operation Sentinel.”
As for the plans by European countries to establish their own naval escorts to protect commercial shipping, Esper said he saw that effort as complementary to U.S. goals, which are ensuring freedom of navigation through the strait and deterring Iran from stopping or seizing ships.
“I think it’s all helpful. It’s all sending the same message we’re trying to send. That is freedom of navigation and no provocative acts in the strait,” Esper said.
