U.S. Military building missile defense radar station in Qatar

On the heels of the defense secretary announcing his approved late last week to send an aircraft carrier to the Middle East several months early to make sure at least two carriers will constantly be present in the troubled region, the Wall Street Journal reports today of another defense effortto “[organize the Pentagon's] biggest-ever minesweeping exercises in the Persian Gulf.”

The WSJ reports the Pentagon is building a missile-defense radar station in Qatar to address the potential for “Tehran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and its threat to shut down the oil-shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz by mining them.”

The minesweepers give the U.S. greater flexibility to counter any Iranian effort to mine the strait at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, which is already routinely patrolled by Iranian and U.S. warships. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strategic waterway, which is the transit route for about a fifth of the world’s oil supply, in retaliation for increased Western-led sanctions.

(Image via Wall Street Journal)

Here’s more from WSJ on the plans:

The Pentagon chose to place the new radar site in Qatar because it is home to the largest U.S. military air base in the region, Al Udeid Air Base, analysts say. More than 8,000 troops are stationed there and at another U.S. base in Qatar.

Qatari officials in Washington and Doha didn’t respond to requests for comment. Qatar has taken on roles in conflicts in Libya and Syria, winning U.S. praise. Qatar guards a more neutral stance when it comes to Iran, maintaining close relations with Tehran, which shares ownership with Doha of the region’s largest natural gas field.

The Blaze