Don't look the other way - plan

Iran has expanded its naval presence in the Straits of Hormuz, the passage for an estimated 40 percent of global crude oil shipments.

The U.S. Navy has determined that Iran has amassed a fleet of fast patrol boats in the 43-kilometer straits. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for strategic programs, leads the effort.

At this point, officials said, IRGC has deployed more than 1,000 FPBs in and around the straits. The vessels, armed with cruise missiles, mines, torpedoes and rocket-propelled grenades, are up to 23 meters in long and can reach a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

"You just don't get 1,000 or 500 or even 20 of anything under way and tightly orchestrated over a large body of water to create a specific effect at a specific time and specific place. They have their own challenges.''

Take some of the above with a chunk of salt - but the challenge there is substantial. Millennium Challenge 02 and LTG Van Ripper has already answered questions about what kind of danger.

(Van Ripper) sent orders with motorcycle couriers to evade sophisticated electronic eavesdropping equipment. When the US fleet sailed into the Gulf, he instructed his small boats and planes to move around in apparently aimless circles before launching a surprise attack which sank a substantial part of the US navy. The war game had to be stopped and the American ships "refloated" so that the US forces stood a chance.

Why do we live in denial?

Stop making excuses and find more .50 cal and other GOTS crew-served weapons in quantity (though .50 cal is kind of hard to come by now-a-days) to put on our ships with the training to go with them. We really need more than we have now. The other goodies out there cost too much and run out of rounds too fast to make the fix now. Flow in fancy stuff as it comes on line - if you can - but we need more - NOW.