Collision between U.S. Navy destroyer and Japanese oil tanker in Persian Gulf; U.S. to retain close ties with Egypt’s military
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    • According to the U.S. 5th Fleet said in a news release, the U.S. Navy destroyer Porter and a Japanese-owned oil tanker collided near the Strait of Hormuz on August 12, 2012, with an impact that tore open the destroyer’s starboard side but left both crews unharmed. The collision between Porter and the bulk oil tanker Otowasan, operating under a Panamanian flag, was not “combat related,” the release noted. The circumstances of the collision whether the collision was in the channel, the relative speeds at impact, or which ship had right of way, remain unclear. 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Greg Raelson said that Porter had just completed an inbound transit through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. Raelson stated, “The Japanese tanker was heading out of the [Persian] Gulf into the Strait of Hormuz” toward the Gulf of Oman, however, adding that he didn’t have the exact coordinates of the collision available. 1

    In another development, according to reports, the U.S. military expects to maintain close ties with Egypt’s armed forces despite the dismissal of the country’s powerful defense minister, a US spokesman said on August 13, 2012. Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters, “We had expected President (Mohamed) Morsi at some point to coordinate changes in the military leadership, to name a new team.” “The United States and the Department of Defense in particular look forward to continuing a very close relationship with the SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces),” Little said. Morsi on August 12, 2012 retired Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and armed forces Chief of Staff Sami Anan. He also scrapped a constitutional document that gave the military legislative and other powers. The Egyptian president replaced Tantawi, who had forged links with top American brass over decades, with Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, head of military intelligence. “The new defense minister is someone who’s known to us; he comes from within the ranks of the SCAF, and we believe we’ll be able to continue the strong partnership that we have with Egypt,” Little said. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “looks forward” to calling him “at the earliest possible moment,” he added. 2

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