Even as Georgia's attack on South Ossetia is keeping Russia occupied, the US, British and French are moving major naval groups into the Persian Gulf, presumably to establish a sea blockade and possible attack on Iran.
US naval forces being moved in include the Carrier Strike Groups Two, Seven and Nine, the Peleliu Expeditionary Strike Group, Destroyer Squadron Nine and Twenty Two, the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, and various assorted assault ships, landing docks, guided missile destroyers, cruisers and frigates.
The Royal Navy is sending the HMS Ark Royal Carrier Strike Group, with assorted guided missile destroyers and frigates, nuclear hunter-killer submarines and support ships.
The French are sending nuclear powered hunter-killer submarines, French Naval Rafale fighter jets operating off of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and assorted surface warships.
More info at: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/35448
Also: http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/28832 has a brief article that the Israeli paper the Ma'ariv has reported that the US is shipping arms and ammunition that were earmarked for Iraq to Tbilisi from Aqabah in Jordan using privately contracted Russian-built (ironic...) freight planes. It would seem that there will be plenty of effort going into bogging Russia down in a "near abroad" Vietnam engagement, which is probably why the Russians have hastily expanded their operations beyond South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Georgia itself. I have no doubt now that they will take Tbilisi and possibly take control of all of Georgia as quickly as possible.
My preliminary thinking is that Georgia has been cultivated and armed by the US for the specific purpose of sacrificing this small country to Russia, as a decoy and a distraction, while larger operations unfold around Iran, and possibly beyond.
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