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The Threat of "Swarming Boat" Attacks Is Real
(U.S. News) Stephen Bryen and Shoshana Bryen - Iran is harassing American naval warships in the Persian Gulf while Washington still entertains the idea that Iran can be a friend of America. Top Iranian political and military leaders proclaim their total hatred of the United States. The attack on the USS Nitze on Tuesday was a test of an Iranian tactic called the "swarming boat" attack to destroy U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf: a number of fast boats equipped with missiles and torpedoes attack enemy ships from multiple angles to damage or destroy them as quickly as possible. Fast patrol boats are hard to hit. They are built mostly of fiberglass, so they are not so easy to locate with radar. In addition, the defensive weapons on board most U.S. naval ships are inadequate. The old Mark 45 five-inch guns fire too slowly and are linked to aged fire control and radars that probably won't pick up the patrol boats until they are in range to fire their missiles. Stephen Bryen is senior fellow in defense studies at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington. Shoshana Bryen is senior director of the Jewish Policy Center.