hotair.com By David Strom
UPDATES BELOW: The administration is now saying that the Navy will not escort the ships, and “guide” just means giving them directions for the best way out. It’s not quite clear what is new about this, other than reiterating a threat to sink Iranian speedboats attacking ships. It may be a way to reset the clock for the War Powers Act. He declared that with the ceasefire, the hostilities were over; if Iran attacks a civilian ship and we respond, this might count in his mind as a new conflict.
What this does mean, though, is that we will not be using our own warships in the Strait at this time, as many thought when Trump posted on Truth Social. It seems that the Navy’s assessment of the risk to our ships if we entered the Strait exceeded the benefits of a full escort.
Here is CENTCOM’s post on Operation Freedom, which turns out to be slick enough to imply military escorts without actually promising them.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 3, 2026
TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin supporting Project Freedom, May 4, to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor. A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
Last week, the U.S. Department of State announced a new initiative, in partnership with the Department of War, to enhance coordination and information sharing among international partners in support of maritime security in the strait. The Maritime Freedom Construct aims to combine diplomatic action with military coordination, which will be critical during Project Freedom.
U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members.
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