The United States is about to have a new base for commando strikes in the Middle East.
The US Navy will convert a warship into a makeshift base — which has been dubbed a “mothership” — for commando teams in the Middle East, FOX News Channel confirmed Friday.
The plan, first reported by The Washington Post, comes amid rising tensions with Iran, al Qaeda in Yemen and Somali pirates.
FOX said the Pentagon confirmed that the USS Ponce will be converted from an Austin-class amphibious transport dock to an afloat forward staging base (AFSB).
Ponce will delay its scheduled decommissioning to serve as an interim AFSB until a permanent solution can be identified.
According to the Post, the base will support smaller patrol ships, high-speed boats and helicopters commonly used by US Navy SEALs.
It was not disclosed where exactly in the Middle East the base, dubbed a “mothership,” will be deployed, but it will be in the region by early summer. The Post, citing US Navy documents, reported it was likely to be headed to the Persian Gulf where Iran has threatened to block a crucial shipping route for much of the world’s oil supply, the Strait of Hormuz.
However Pentagon spokesman, Captain John Kirby, denied the Post’s claims that the US was “moving with unusual haste” to complete the conversion.
“While this work is being done in an expeditious fashion, it is not accurate to surmise that this signals a rush to meet some urgent combat requirement,” he told FOX.
“This is a longstanding request that, with the opportunity now before us, we are fulfilling.”
US Navy SEALs were used this week to rescue an American and Dane being held hostage in Somalia and last year killed al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden in Pakistan.
The Obama administration believes that nimble special forces are a key way to offset the massive spending cuts the Defense Department faces.