Pentagon to deploy floating base in Middle East

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Pentagon to deploy floating base in Middle East

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US Navy officials said that the ship will be transformed into a flotilla to be used by Navy SEALs.

28 January,2012 09:28 am

The Pentagon is converting an aging warship into a floating base for use by U.S. commandos operating in the Middle East, according to a senior Defense Department official.The USS Ponce, an amphibious transport docking ship, will be retrofitted into a staging base for Navy special operations forces.The Washington Post first reported the story.The warship will be manned by a combined crew of Navy officers and enlisted sailors and Military Sealift Command government civilian mariners, said a statement from Lt. Commander Mike Kafka at U.S. Fleet Forces. The deployment will fulfill a longstanding request of the U.S. Central Command, the statement said.One of the highlights in Pentagon budget documents released on Thursday was continued funding for a new afloat forward staging base that can be dedicated to support missions in areas where ground based access is not available, such as counter-mine operations.Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane for Persian Gulf oil. Mines would be one way for Iran to block the waterway.