Caine Praises Sailors, Marines Enforcing Iran Blockade

During a press conference at the Pentagon today, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked the sailors and Marines on board vessels in the Persian Gulf enforcing the blockade of ships that sail from Iranian ports.

While all of the Navy ships are critical to this effort, he singled out the destroyers as a prime example.

"The Arleigh Burke-class of destroyers are the backbone of the United States Navy," he said, adding they are "the sports car" of the surface fleet.

The ships are over 500 feet long, weigh around 9,000 tons and, from the keel to the mast, stand nearly 10 stories tall. Their four gas turbine engines can drive the ship at more than 30 knots.

Caine described them as "armed to the teeth" with surface-to-air missiles, land-attack cruise missiles, antiship missiles, antisubmarine rockets, torpedoes, five-inch naval guns, multiple electronic warfare systems and embarked helicopters, extending their reach and capability. However, despite the weaponry, he said the most important weapons on board these ships are the 300 sailors who bring them to life.

"They are the heart and soul of these warships at sea," Caine said, noting that they are deployed for months, operating around the clock in a constant state of readiness, always delivering capability to the joint force.

It's hot in the engine room, where the engineering team keeps the lights on and the ship powered and able to respond to the orders from the bridge. On the bridge are sailors maintaining a constant watch, maneuvering the ship tactically and safely through always-congested waters, the general said.

"It's like driving a sports car through a supermarket parking lot on a payday weekend with thousands of kids in that parking lot, as you attempt to maneuver through there to get to that ship that would attempt to run that blockade," he said.

Down in the combat information center is where the decisions are made. As threats appear, sailors make real-time decisions on how to identify and handle them.

"And they always deliver," Caine said, noting that these ships are often run by the youngest sailors in the surface warfare fleet.

The helmsman, who is on watch in the bridge, is normally between 18 and 19 years old, and "they are trusted to drive this warship through that supermarket parking lot without hitting anything," he said.

The conning officer, who's normally just a few years out of college, is the one giving that young helmsman the orders on where to take that warship to execute the mission.

"These are incredibly well-trained sailors. They are led by incredible leaders - salty, experienced leaders - and trusted with deep responsibility, and I'm so humbled and proud of America's Navy. These sailors chose to take the road less traveled, to go into the historic surface Navy, and they deliver every single day," the chairman said.

Caine also praised Navy veterans and the fallen who died defending the nation.