Three reasons the US shouldn't use Marines to guard commercial vessels from Iran | TomRtweets
The Biden administration is apparently in advanced stages of planning just such an operation. The Strait of Hormuz is a key strategic waterway separating the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean from the Persian Gulf.The Associated Press reports that the plan would entail"Marines and Navy sailors [providing] the security only at the request of the ships involved." The centerpiece of any effort would seem likely to focus on the USS Bataan-embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The second problem here is that this proposal would employ forces in a role they are not designed for. Marines and Navy ship-boarding units are trained both to defend and seize vessels from hostile forces. That includes boarding operations on civilian vessels. Yet employing these forces in the role as described would be an extensive, resource-draining one.
Finally, there’s a far better alternative to deploying Marines and sailors on this open-ended mission: The U.S. could impose direct costs on Iran for what it is doing. President Joe Biden could warn the IRGC that any naval units responsible for sending out seizure teams will be targeted for destruction. If its ships and ports are ablaze, the IRGC will reassess the benefits of its piracy. Iran is already actively trying to assassinate high-level active and former U.S.
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