US Strike Group ordered to Gulf

FreeAsia2000

Junior Member
I've also read elsewhere that the USN has been asked to be operationally ready by October 17.

I think things are heating up

War Signals?

By Dave Lindorff

09/21/06 "The Nation" -- -- As reports circulate of a sharp debate within the White House over possible US military action against Iran and its nuclear enrichment facilities, The Nation has learned that the Bush Administration and the Pentagon have issued orders for a major "strike group" of ships, including the nuclear aircraft carrier Eisenhower as well as a cruiser, destroyer, frigate, submarine escort and supply ship, to head for the Persian Gulf, just off Iran's western coast. This information follows a report in the current issue of Time magazine, both online and in print, that a group of ships capable of mining harbors has received orders to be ready to sail for the Persian Gulf by October 1.

As Time writes in its cover story, "What Would War Look Like?," evidence of the forward deployment of minesweepers and word that the chief of naval operations had asked for a reworking of old plans for mining Iranian harbors "suggest that a much discussed--but until now largely theoretical--prospect has become real: that the U.S. may be preparing for war with Iran."

According to Lieut. Mike Kafka, a spokesman at the headquarters of the Second Fleet, based in Norfolk, Virginia, the Eisenhower Strike Group, bristling with Tomahawk cruise missiles, has received recent orders to depart the United States in a little over a week. Other official sources in the public affairs office of the Navy Department at the Pentagon confirm that this powerful armada is scheduled to arrive off the coast of Iran on or around October 21.

The Eisenhower had been in port at the Naval Station Norfolk for several years for refurbishing and refueling of its nuclear reactor; it had not been scheduled to depart for a new duty station until at least a month later, and possibly not till next spring. Family members, before the orders, had moved into the area and had until then expected to be with their sailor-spouses and parents in Virginia for some time yet. First word of the early dispatch of the "Ike Strike" group to the Persian Gulf region came from several angry officers on the ships involved, who contacted antiwar critics like retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner and complained that they were being sent to attack Iran without any order from the Congress.

"This is very serious," said Ray McGovern, a former CIA threat-assessment analyst who got early word of the Navy officers' complaints about the sudden deployment orders. (McGovern, a twenty-seven-year veteran of the CIA, resigned in 2002 in protest over what he said were Bush Administration pressures to exaggerate the threat posed by Iraq. He and other intelligence agency critics have formed a group called Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.)

Colonel Gardiner, who has taught military strategy at the National War College, says that the carrier deployment and a scheduled Persian Gulf arrival date of October 21 is "very important evidence" of war planning. He says, "I know that some naval forces have already received 'prepare to deploy orders' [PTDOs], which have set the date for being ready to go as October 1. Given that it would take about from October 2 to October 21 to get those forces to the Gulf region, that looks about like the date" of any possible military action against Iran. (A PTDO means that all crews should be at their stations, and ships and planes should be ready to go, by a certain date--in this case, reportedly, October 1.) Gardiner notes, "You cannot issue a PTDO and then stay ready for very long. It's a very significant order, and it's not done as a training exercise." This point was also made in the Time article.

So what is the White House planning?

On Monday President Bush addressed the UN General Assembly at its opening session, and while studiously avoiding even physically meeting Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was also addressing the body, he offered a two-pronged message. Bush told the "people of Iran" that "we're working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis" and that he looked forward "to the day when you can live in freedom." But he also warned that Iran's leaders were using the nation's resources "to fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons." Given the President's assertion that the nation is fighting a "global war on terror" and that he is Commander in Chief of that "war," his prominent linking of the Iran regime with terror has to be seen as a deliberate effort to claim his right to carry the fight there. Bush has repeatedly insisted that the 2001 Congressional Authorization for the Use of Force that preceded the invasion of Afghanistan was also an authorization for an unending "war on terror."

Even as Bush was making not-so-veiled threats at the UN, his former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, a sharp critic of any unilateral US attack on Iran, was in Norfolk, not far from the Eisenhower, advocating further diplomatic efforts to deal with Iran's nuclear program--itself tantalizing evidence of the policy struggle over whether to go to war, and that those favoring an attack may be winning that struggle.

"I think the plan's been picked: bomb the nuclear sites in Iran," says Gardiner. "It's a terrible idea, it's against US law and it's against international law, but I think they've decided to do it." Gardiner says that while the United States has the capability to hit those sites with its cruise missiles, "the Iranians have many more options than we do: They can activate Hezbollah; they can organize riots all over the Islamic world, including Pakistan, which could bring down the Musharraf government, putting nuclear weapons into terrorist hands; they can encourage the Shia militias in Iraq to attack US troops; they can blow up oil pipelines and shut the Persian Gulf." Most of the major oil-producing states in the Middle East have substantial Shiite populations, which has long been a concern of their own Sunni leaders and of Washington policy-makers, given the sometimes close connection of Shiite populations to Iran's religious rulers.

Of course, Gardiner agrees, recent ship movements and other signs of military preparedness could be simply a bluff designed to show toughness in the bargaining with Iran over its nuclear program. But with the Iranian coast reportedly armed to the teeth with Chinese Silkworm antiship missiles, and possibly even more sophisticated Russian antiship weapons, against which the Navy has little reliable defenses, it seems unlikely the Navy would risk high-value assets like aircraft carriers or cruisers with such a tactic. Nor has bluffing been a Bush MO to date.

Commentators and analysts across the political spectrum are focusing on Bush's talk about dialogue, with many claiming that he is climbing down from confrontation. On the right, David Frum, writing on September 20 in his National Review blog, argues that the lack of any attempt to win a UN resolution supporting military action, and rumors of "hushed back doors" being opened in Washington, lead him to expect a diplomatic deal, not a unilateral attack. Writing in the center, Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler saw in Bush's UN speech evidence that "war is no longer a viable option" in Iran. Even on the left, where confidence in the Bush Administration's judgment is abysmally low, commentators like Noam Chomsky and Nation contributor Robert Dreyfuss are skeptical that an attack is being planned. Chomsky has long argued that Washington's leaders aren't crazy, and would not take such a step--though more recently, he has seemed less sanguine about Administration sanity and has suggested that leaks about war plans may be an effort by military leaders--who are almost universally opposed to widening the Mideast war--to arouse opposition to such a move by Bush and war advocates like Cheney. Dreyfuss, meanwhile, in an article for the online journal TomPaine.com, focuses on the talk of diplomacy in Bush's Monday UN speech, not on his threats, and concludes that it means "the realists have won" and that there will be no Iran attack.

But all these war skeptics may be whistling past the graveyard. After all, it must be recalled that Bush also talked about seeking diplomatic solutions the whole time he was dead-set on invading Iraq, and the current situation is increasingly looking like a cheap Hollywood sequel. The United States, according to Gardiner and others, already reportedly has special forces operating in Iran, and now major ship movements are looking ominous.

Representative Maurice Hinchey, a leading Democratic critic of the Iraq War, informed about the Navy PTDOs and about the orders for the full Eisenhower Strike Group to head out to sea, said, "For some time there has been speculation that there could be an attack on Iran prior to November 7, in order to exacerbate the culture of fear that the Administration has cultivated now for over five or six years. But if they attack Iran it will be a very bad mistake, for the Middle East and for the US. It would only make worse the antagonism and fear people feel towards our country. I hope this Administration is not so foolish and irresponsible." He adds, "Military people are deeply concerned about the overtaxing of the military already."

Calls for comment from the White House on Iran war plans and on the order for the Eisenhower Strike Group to deploy were referred to the National Security Council press office, which declined to return this reporter's phone calls.

McGovern, who had first told a group of anti-Iraq War activists Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, DC, during an ongoing action called "Camp Democracy," about his being alerted to the strike group deployment, warned, "We have about seven weeks to try and stop this next war from happening."

One solid indication that the dispatch of the Eisenhower is part of a force buildup would be if the carrier Enterprise--currently in the Arabian Sea, where it has been launching bombing runs against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and which is at the end of its normal six-month sea tour--is kept on station instead of sent back to the United States. Arguing against simple rotation of tours is the fact that the Eisenhower's refurbishing and its dispatch were rushed forward by at least a month. A report from the Enterprise on the Navy's official website referred to its ongoing role in the Afghanistan fighting, and gave no indication of plans to head back to port. The Navy itself has no comment on the ship's future orders.

Jim Webb, Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration and currently a Democratic candidate for Senate in Virginia, expressed some caution about reports of the carrier deployment, saying, "Remember, carrier groups regularly rotate in and out of that region." But he added, "I do not believe that there should be any elective military action taken against Iran without a separate authorization vote by the Congress. In my view, the 2002 authorization which was used for the invasion of Iraq should not extend to Iran."

Copyright © 2006 The Nation

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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
More alarmist type ramblings my friend. Twisted information. Thats' all.The "Ike" has long been scheduled for deployment. The "Ike" will relieve the USS Enterprise(CVN-65) whom has been deployed to to the Med./IO/WESPAC/Persian Gulf since 2 May 2006. A normal USN deployment is 6 months.

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Now if the Enterprise is held in the Gulf region and another CSG(Carrier Strike Group) joins the fray then something may be up. But until then this is a normal deployment.:coffee:

(A PTDO means that all crews should be at their stations, and ships and planes should be ready to go, by a certain date--in this case, reportedly, October 1.) Gardiner notes, "You cannot issue a PTDO and then stay ready for very long. It's a very significant order, and it's not done as a training exercise." This point was also made in the Time article.

Ho hummm:coffee: the USN has been doing this since 9/11/2001 generally 6 weeks to two months before deployment.:coffee:


First word of the early dispatch of the "Ike Strike" group to the Persian Gulf region came from several angry officers on the ships involved, who contacted antiwar critics like retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner and complained that they were being sent to attack Iran without any order from the Congress.

Please! Just alarmist BS. If any officers on the ship or air wing said anything about this deployment in the fashion describe they would be in for severe reprimands...Do not believe the HYPE!!!! Until you see multiplie CSG's in the Gulf!

Arguing against simple rotation of tours is the fact that the Eisenhower's refurbishing and its dispatch were rushed forward by at least a month.

Not true. If the Enterprise was to remain in the Gulf we may well heard of it by now. The Ike was in the shipyard at Newport News for almost 4 years for a major re-fit and nuke refuel. In fact it's overhaul was delayed several times because of tech issues. The Ike emerged from the shipyard in March 2005 and has been in the training mode ever since and is now ready to deploy.

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Once again. Don't believe the hype until you see multiplie USN CSG's deployed in the Persian Gulf region. Anything else is just alarmist speculation.

Ahem..The "Ike" battle group prepares for a routine deployment. This article backs up all that I just posted yesterday.

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Overhauled Eisenhower prepares for deployment after six years off
By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 28, 2006

NORFOLK - The aircraft carrier Eisenhower is going to sea again after being sidelined for nearly six years for a major overhaul and a nuclear refueling.

It and four other Norfolk-based ships and submarines carrying 6,500 sailors leave Tuesday for a scheduled deployment.

Traveling with the Eisenhower will be Carrier Air Wing 7, Destroyer Squadron 28, the guided-missile cruiser Anzio, guided-missile destroyers Ramage and Mason, and the fast-attack submarine Newport News, according to a Navy news release.

Rear Adm. Allen G. Myers will lead Carrier Strike Group 8. The "Ike" last deployed in February 2000 and returned that August.

The Eisenhower, nearly 29 years old, entered the Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard in May 2001 for a $1.5 billion midlife refueling of two nuclear reactors and an overhaul. That was completed in March 2005.

It conducted sea trials until October 2005, and its crew and air wing have been training for the deployment ever since.

The flotilla will steam to the Mediterranean Sea and eventually to the Fifth Fleet area of operations, where it will relieve the Norfolk-based aircraft carrier Enterprise strike group. Five of the ships in the "Big E's" group also are from Norfolk.

The Enterprise, which turns 45 on Nov. 25, is in the Arabian Sea supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During June and July, the Enterprise launched 781 aircraft sorties, bombing enemy positions as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and 237 aircraft sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the release said.

Since the end of August, the Enterprise has launched nearly 300 sorties and dropped about 90 precision bombs and rockets in support of NATO forces and other coalition troops in Afghanistan, according to the release.

The Enterprise deployed in May and is expected to return home next month. Three Norfolk-based guided missile ships are part of the group - the cruiser Leyte Gulf, the destroyer McFaul and the frigate Nicholas. The force also includes the attack submarine Alexandria from Groton, Conn., and the combat support ship Supply from Earle Naval Weapons Station in New Jersey.


Reach Jack Dorsey at (757)446-2284 or [email protected].
 
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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
No problem. :)

Dave Lindorrf. He is just an alarmist. Trying to make things appear as they don't. Twisting the facts.

But watch the Gulf region. When you see two or more USN CSG's..somethings up....
 

Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
Popeye may have pointed this out but I was skeptical right away about this being an intended attack on Iran because any strike group aimed at IRan would assemble in the Arabian Sea, not the Persian Gulf, because they would be far too vunerable in those closed in waters. That was the biggest "plot hole" that I saw when I briefly glanced over the article.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Popeye may have pointed this out but I was skeptical right away about this being an intended attack on Iran because any strike group aimed at IRan would assemble in the Arabian Sea, not the Persian Gulf, because they would be far too vunerable in those closed in waters. That was the biggest "plot hole" that I saw when I briefly glanced over the article.

Exactly Finn! But we shall see because today the "Ike" departed on a 7 month deployment just a short while ago!.

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Eisenhower Strike Group leaves for seven-month deployment
By KATE WILTROUT, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 3, 2006 | Last updated 11:26 AM Oct. 3

NORFOLK -- The carrier Eisenhower and destroyer Ramage pulled out of Norfolk Naval Station this morning on what is expected to be a seven-month deployment.

Joining them will be the destroyer Mason and cruiser Anzio.

Capt. Dan Cloyd, commanding officer of the Eisenhower, said 70 percent of his crew are experiencing their first deployment.

"There is a lot of energy and a lot of excitement onboard this morning," Cloyd said.

This is the Eisenhower's first deployment since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The ship had a mid-life refueling at Norfolk-Grumman Newport News shipyard.

The Eisenhower Strike Group comprises about 6,500 sailors.

Reach Kate Wiltrout at (757) 446-2629 or [email protected]
 

Jeff Head

General
Registered Member
More alarmist type ramblings my friend. Twisted information. Thats' all.The "Ike" has long been scheduled for deployment. The "Ike" will relieve the USS Enterprise(CVN-65) whom has been deployed to to the Med./IO/WESPAC/Persian Gulf since 2 May 2006. A normal USN deployment is 6 months.
All spot on and well within the ring Popeye. Way to dismantle this piece. Too bad it even has to be done. As you said...when multiple CSGs begin assembling in the waters well off of Iran...then an urgent and compelling message will be being sent to the Iranian government...not before IMHO.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
All spot on and well within the ring Popeye. Way to dismantle this piece. Too bad it even has to be done. As you said...when multiple CSGs begin assembling in the waters well off of Iran...then an urgent and compelling message will be being sent to the Iranian government...not before IMHO.

Correct Jeff. If for instance the Kitty Hawk arrived in the area and the Enterprise would remain in the area after the "Ike" arrives. You would know some sort of action is afoot. Until then. this is just a routine deployment.

I doubt if the Kitty Hawk will be around anytime soon though. It just returned to her home of Yokosuka, Japan after a two plus month deployment in the WESPAC region.

Let's keep our eyes & ears open to any possible developments not matter how unlikely.
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Pictures of the "Ike" & USS Anzio (CG 68) deploying from Naval Station Norfolk VA.

Norfolk (Oct. 3, 2006) - Families and friends watch on the pier as the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) gets underway in support of the ongoing rotation of forward-deployed forces. The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is commanded by Rear Adm. Allen G. Myers, Commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight (CCSG-8), and includes the Eisenhower's embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7), guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68), guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87), and fast-attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN 750), all homeported at Naval Station Norfolk VA.

I’m extremely proud of the men and women of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group,” said Myers. “They’ve worked long and hard, exceeding all expectations as we prepared for this deployment and are ready to take on any missions sent our way. We aim to make a difference with our unique capability of providing a strong forward presence anywhere in the world at any given time, whether we’re promoting peace and security, preserving freedom of the seas, deterring aggression or providing sustained combat operations.”

The strike group completed Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 06-02 in July, receiving certification to deploy after a series of complex training events, which included naval surface fire support training and air-to-ground bombing practice at ranges on the East Coast of the United States.

During deployment, IKE CSG is prepared to operate often alongside coalition partners to conduct MSO under international maritime conventions to ensure security in all waters, so all commercial shipping may operate freely while transiting the world's oceans.

MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO also deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.

For related news, visit the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Navy NewsStand page at
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The "Ike" CSG continunes on to the Gulf region. It recently steamed past Gilbraltar.

Mediterranean Sea (Oct. 14, 2006) - An SH-60F Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Five (HS-5), the “Nightdippers,” performs channel guard duty as the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) transits the Strait of Gibraltar. Eisenhower is deployed in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and the global war on terrorism.
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Well I just check with COM6thFLT and the "Ike" along with the Anizo(CG-68) arrived in Naples Italy today for a short port visit....

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NAPLES, Italy - Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) pulled into port here today, to give the crews three days of liberty ashore, while enhancing the enduring partnership between the U.S. and Italy.

Both ships are members of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG), which has been on deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism since Oct. 3. Since entering Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe - Commander, Sixth Fleet's area of responsibility in early October, IKE CSG has been planning Theater Security Cooperation engagements and maritime security operations with the militaries of Italy, Cyprus, Bosnia, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro and Romania.

One of the largest warships in the world, Eisenhower is 1,092 feet long, displaces 95,000 tons fully loaded, and has a 4.5 acre flight deck capable of supporting 100 aircraft. Including the embarked air wing, the carrier can hold a crew of 6,287. Eisenhower provides an independent forward presence and deterrence in peacetime, and a sustainable force in a range of operational and war fighting situations, while the ship"s embarked air wing can project tactical air power over the sea and land, and provide sea-based air defense and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Anzio is 567 feet long, displaces 9,600 tons fully loaded, can travel at more than 30 knots, and is manned by a crew of 365 officers and enlisted service members. It is a multi-mission (air warfare, undersea warfare and surface warfare) surface combatant capable of supporting carrier battle groups and amphibious forces, and operating independently and as a flagship for surface action groups.

Both ships are homeported in Norfolk, Va.
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Question.>>>>Now does anyone still think the US is poising for a strike on Iran?
 

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bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
An intresting development! The Kitty hawk just left Japan on a "routine deployment I find this intresting because the Kitty Hawk spent only 30 days in Japan after it's summer deployment in the WESPAC region.

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Kitty Hawk Strike Group Gets Underway
Story Number: NNS061018-13
Release Date: 10/18/2006 11:55:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Matthew Reinhardt, USS Kitty Hawk Public Affairs

USS KITTY HAWK, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and its strike group departed Yokosuka, Japan, Oct. 17, for a fall deployment with embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 after completing a month of maintenance.

The strike group is expected to return to Yokosuka by the end of the year.

Other ships departing with the Kitty Hawk Tuesday included the guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63), and guided-missile destroyers USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and USS Mustin (DDG 89).

The destroyer USS Stethem (DDG 63) and guided-missile frigate USS Gary (FFG 51) left Yokosuka last week.

About 7,400 Sailors departed with the eight ships, including more than 5,200 aboard Kitty Hawk alone.

Kitty Hawk, leading the Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier strike group, will spend the underway period conducting carrier qualifications, drills and exercises in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

During this deployment, Kitty Hawk will also take part in ANNUALEX 2006, a joint exercise between the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

During the brief in-port period, Kitty Hawk Sailors worked with Ship’s Repair Facility workers, and Japanese contractors on several hundred maintenance projects, said Lt. Cmdr. Billy Partington, Kitty Hawk’s maintenance officer.

“The ship’s engineers had to work extra long hours fixing extra discrepancies that were discovered as maintenance was performed,” said Partington. “Their efforts brought [the ship] back up to 100 percent [mission] capable.”

The Kitty Hawk Strike Group is the largest carrier strike group in the Navy. It includes Kitty Hawk, the aircraft squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing 5, USS Shiloh (CG 67) and Cowpens, and Destroyer Squadron 15 staff. The group’s ships and destroyer squadron staff are based at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, and the air wing and staff are based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan.

For related news, visit the USS Kitty Hawk Strike Group Navy NewsStand page at
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MrClean

New Member
I complety agree with you BD, in a normal situation no sort of hostile action could be taken against Iran without the need for multiple CSGs. But the US has a considerably large portion of it's air capability stationed throughout both Iraq and Afghanistan, which btw are both on the opposite borders of Iran. Isn't there enough air capability on Iran's boarders to conduct an air campaign without the need of multiple CSGs? And if not, could'nt more renforcements be called to active duty if need be?

Don't get me wrong, the US couldn't wage the 2 front war alone it would require another coalition of sorts like the first Gulf War. But it could and would be done if all diplomatic efforts failed, and it seems that the two pronged attack from either sides would be the most likely scenerio if military action is required.
 
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