NOVA · Season 26 · Episode 19

“Battle Alert in the Gulf”

Aired Wednesday 24 February 1999

At the height of tensions in the Middle East, the United States placed a huge armada at ground zero in the Persian Gulf. This strategic move was without precedent during peace time operations—a big stick waved at a defiant Saddam Hussein. In an ironic twist of timing, at the center of this massive military force was the Navy's oldest and most celebrated aircraft carrier, the USS Independence, on her final voyage, and the newest, the highly sophisticated nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, on her maiden voyage. Join NOVA as it moves with exclusive access throughout the fleet, from carriers and cruisers to submarines and jet fighters. Follow the strategy makers, fighter pilots, Aegis cruiser captains and fast attack submarine crews as they contend with a hostile Iraq and a new battlefield. NOVA examines up-close a new and powerful technology, tasked with a new assignment, a Blue Water force designed for global confrontation in a post-Cold War scenario. Has US war capability and technology kept pace with a changing battlefield?

S26 E19 discussion