SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: The U.S. Navy has 20 warships off Iran and a growing problem feeding them.

https://x.com/MarioNawfal/status/2087986295284912152

 The U.S. Navy has 20 warships off Iran and a growing problem feeding them.

Two carrier strike groups, Lincoln and Bush, plus the Boxer amphibious group, are sitting in the northern Arabian Sea within striking range of Iran. Keeping that many ships fed and armed is quietly becoming one of the hardest parts of the operation.

Back in January, Gulf states blocked U.S. access to their bases and airspace, scared of getting dragged into Iranian retaliation. That knocked out the usual resupply hubs in Bahrain, the UAE and Oman.

Supply ships can still load up there, but to reach the fleet they'd have to run the Strait of Hormuz, straight through the same missiles and drones already hitting commercial shipping. Big, lightly armed store ships make easy targets.

So everything now comes from the Indian Ocean region or all the way from East Asia. Just four store ships are covering the entire fleet, and some left over a month ago.

Food has a shelf life, and the Navy knows it. The longer the supply line, the faster the fresh fruit, vegetables and milk run out, replaced by whatever freezes or keeps.

The real lesson is about logistics. In 2015 the Navy brought back commercial ships to help move fuel at sea, but never rebuilt the same capacity for dry stores and ammunition. That gap is showing now.

Warships in a contested sea are only as good as the supply chain behind them. The problem is admirals love funding the shooters and hate funding the trucks.

Sources: Middle East Forum, Maritime Executive, USNI News, Stars and Stripes / Writer: Daniyal