Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Let’s just see if the Russians try to keep our destroyer and its crew out of port…

From Defense News:

WASHINGTON - The guided-missile destroyer McFaul departed from Crete on Aug. 20 loaded with humanitarian relief supplies for war-torn Georgia, a U.S. defense official said.

“It’s going into the Black Sea, and the intent is for it to be able to deliver those (supplies) in the next week,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“This is intended to be for humanitarian purposes,” the defense official said.

“The ships will transport thousands of blankets, hygiene items, baby food and infant supplies to save lives and alleviate human suffering,” U.S. European Command said.

Sending the warship into the Black Sea, albeit on a humanitarian mission, would mark the first projection of armed U.S. military power into the region since the start of the conflict between Russia and Georgia on Aug. 7.

The U.S. military has delivered humanitarian aid since last week aboard unarmed military transport planes.

The McFaul will be joined by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Dallas, which is taking on supplies in Souda Bay, Crete and is scheduled to depart in a few days for the Black Sea, the defense official said.

The Mount Whitney, the flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, also was ready to go if ordered but at this point was not going, the official said.

Meanwhile, a team of U.S. European Command, led by Army Brig. Gen. John Miller, is already in Tbilisi “to assess the current humanitarian situation and make recommendations on continued humanitarian support to senior military leadership.”

“The EUCOM team will conduct a deliberate and focused assessment, encompassing variables such as transportation, infrastructure, manpower and many other life support considerations,” the U.S. European Command said.