US Navy launches Mideast drone task force amid Iran tensions
By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet says it will launch a new task force that incorporates airborne, sailing and underwater drones after years of maritime attacks linked to ongoing tensions with Iran. Navy officials declined Wednesday to identify which systems they would introduce from their headquarters on the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. However, they promised the coming months would see the drones stretch their capabilities across a region of chokepoints crucial to both global energy supplies and worldwide shipping. Tehran did not immediately comment on the new Navy task force.
