Choke point

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The Strait of Gibraltar is an important naval choke point, as entry to the Mediterranean Sea can be blocked there by a small number of vessels. STS059-238-074 Strait of Gibraltar.jpg
The Strait of Gibraltar is an important naval choke point, as entry to the Mediterranean Sea can be blocked there by a small number of vessels.

In military strategy, a choke point (or chokepoint), or sometimes bottleneck, is a geographical feature on land such as a valley, defile or bridge, or maritime passage through a critical waterway such as a strait, which an armed force is forced to pass through in order to reach its objective, sometimes on a substantially narrowed front and therefore greatly decreasing its combat effectiveness by making it harder to bring superior numbers to bear. A choke point can allow a numerically inferior defending force to use the terrain as a force multiplier to thwart or ambush a much larger opponent, as the attacker cannot advance any further without first securing passage through the choke point.

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Historical examples

Some historical examples of the tactical use of choke points are King Leonidas I's defense of the Pass of Thermopylae during an invasion led by Xerxes I of Persia; the Battle of Stamford Bridge in which Harold Godwinson defeated Harald Hardrada; William Wallace's victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge (Wallace had around 2,300 men against the English army of about 9,000 to 12,000 men and the bridge collapsed during the battle); and the Battle of Agincourt in which Henry V of England decisively defeated the French using a small army (consisting mainly of lightly equipped longbowmen) when the much larger force of French heavy cavalry were forced to charge at the Englishmen through a narrow muddy gap in the Azincourt Woods.

The many archipelagos of the Caribbean offered several maritime choke points that attracted pirates and buccaneers during the height of their activities in the 17th and early 18th century.[ citation needed ] The Spanish treasure fleets leaving the Americas would have to pass through those waters to pick up the strong, prevailing westerly winds that would take them back to Spain across the North Atlantic.

Some choke points, with important locations in parentheses:

The Fulda Gap was seen as one of the potentially decisive bottleneck battlegrounds of the Cold War in Germany.

Royal Navy choke points

From the 18th to the early 20th centuries, the sheer size of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy meant it had control over much of the world's oceans and seas. Choke points were of huge importance to the British Empire, which often used them to control trade in British colonies and, to a lesser extent, for defense. Choke points have also been a source of tension, notably during the Suez Crisis. The Royal Navy still deems its choke points as strategically vital. Indeed, the importance of choke points was first recognised by British Admiral John Fisher. [1]

The English Channel, a choke point south of England and north of France English Channel.jpg
The English Channel, a choke point south of England and north of France

These are major British choke points today:

The choke points still have significant strategic importance for the Royal Navy. The GIUK gap is particularly important to the Royal Navy, as any attempt by northern European forces to break into the open Atlantic would have to do so through the heavily defended English Channel, which is also the world's busiest shipping lane, or through one of the exits on either side of Iceland. Considering British control over the strategic fortress of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean, Spain (northern coast), France (Atlantic coast) and Portugal are the only mainland European nations that have direct access to the Atlantic Ocean in a way that cannot be easily blocked at a choke point by the Royal Navy. The GIUK gap was also a strategically important part of the Cold War, as the Royal Navy were given the responsibility of keeping an eye on Soviet submarines trying to break into the open Atlantic.[ citation needed ]

Importance

Choke points remain a prominent issue today[ when? ] in the global economy and shipments of goods, particularly oil: 20% of the world's oil is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. In 2018, 20.7 million barrels per day were transported through the strait. [2] The choke point has undergone continuous unrest since the 1980s. This includes, the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by an American surface-to-air missile in 1988, the collision between nuclear submarine USS Newport News and crude tanker Mogamigawa in 2007, U.S.–Iranian naval dispute in 2008 and 2011–2012, seizure of MV Maersk Tigris in 2015 and threats of a strait closure in 2018 and 2019 made by the Islamic Republic of Iran. [3] Most recently, in April 2020, statements from Iran's military shows its readiness to defend its territorial integrity. [4] [5] [6]

The Suez Canal and the Sumed pipeline carry 4.5 million barrels (190,000,000 US gal; 720,000 m3) a day, and the canal carried a total of 7.5% of world trade in 2011. [7] The canal was closed for eight years after the Six-Day War in 1967. In many instances, alternate routes are nonexistent or impractical. For example, an alternate to the Suez/Sumed route required an additional 6,000 miles (9,700 km) around Cape of Good Hope. [8] The Royal Navy also still deems its choke points to the Atlantic as strategically important.

Threats to the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz, connecting the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, is one of the world's most strategically important maritime choke points. The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the largest security threats in the Strait of Hormuz and remains an essential factor in global energy security, due to the high volume of oil and natural gas passing through the narrow openings on a daily basis. The sovereignty of The Islamic Republic of Iran extends, beyond its land territory, internal waters and its islands in the Persian Gulf, to the Strait of Hormuz and the Oman Sea. [9] Iran has used its sovereignty to threaten to close down the Strait of Hormuz multiple times, due to sanctions imposed on the country. [10] [11] This poses serious threats to the global oil market, with the Strait of Hormuz as a key location. Iran's capabilities are found in the country's anti-access/area denial capabilities including small attack craft equipped with machine guns, multiple-launch rockets, anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. [12] [13] [14] Naval mining has also been used as a strategy to threaten the security of the Strait of Hormuz. [15] [16] Lastly, the many naval exercises and unconventional methods used by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, is a display of capability and shows readiness to take action in the choke point. [17] [18] [19] The strategic value of maritime choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz means that the threats to the choke point influence sharp rises in oil prices. [20] The several attacks which have occurred over the last decade against oil facilities and tankers in or near the Strait of Hormuz, has had a large impact on the oil industry. From the perspective of security studies, Iran is an important player in the international oil economy.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian Gulf</span> Arm of the Indian Ocean in West Asia

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The Strait of Hormuz is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam peninsula, shared by the United Arab Emirates and the Musandam Governorate, an exclave of Oman. The strait is about 90 nautical miles (167 km) long, with a width varying from about 52 nmi (96 km) to 21 nmi (39 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strait</span> Naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water

A strait is a landform connecting two seas or two water basins. While the landform generally constricts the flow, the surface water still flows, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in both directions. In some straits there may be a dominant directional current through the strait. Most commonly, it is a narrowing channel that lies between two land masses. Some straits are not navigable, for example because they are either too narrow or too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago. Straits are also known to be loci for sediment accumulation. Usually, sand-size deposits occur on both the two opposite strait exits, forming subaqueous fans or deltas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strait of Malacca</span> Strait between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">GIUK gap</span> Passages between the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval history of Iran</span> Military unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Naval Forces Central Command</span> Service component command of the United States Navy

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The String of Pearls is a geopolitical hypothesis proposed by United States political researchers in 2004. The term refers to the network of Chinese military and commercial facilities and relationships along its sea lines of communication, which extend from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa. The sea lines run through several major maritime choke points such as the Strait of Mandeb, the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Lombok Strait as well as other strategic maritime centres in Somalia and the littoral South Asian countries of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Maldives.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–2012 Strait of Hormuz dispute</span>

The 2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute was a dispute between a coalition of countries and Iran. The dispute arose on 27 December 2011, when Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz. In late April 2019 Iran said that it will block any shipping if it was barred from using the strategic waterway and in face of US sanctions

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Iran's anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy in the Strait of Hormuz mixes advanced technology with guerilla tactics to deny, deter or delay foreign forces access and maritime freedom of maneuver. The regular attempt by adversaries to deny one another freedom of movement on the battlefield can be observed throughout history. What makes anti-access/area-denial nowadays different from the past is the rapid improvement in military and communication technology in recent decades and new ways of implementing these strategies that such technology creates. Most scholarly attention seems to have gone to Chinese anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities, most likely because modern military technology is required to uphold A2/AD, it is almost always exclusively practiced by advanced regional powers like China. The A2/AD portfolio leverages diplomatic, information, military, and economic (DIME) activities. The focus of the Iranian A2/AD threat in the Strait of Hormuz is limited to the military dimension.

The grey-zone describes the space in between peace and war in which state and non-state actors engage in competition.

European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz

The European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASoH) is a French-led maritime monitoring mission with the goal to protect maritime flows through the Strait of Hormuz. It is headquartered at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi and comprises a diplomacy track (EMASoH) and a military track (AGENOR). The mission has 9 participating countries including Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and, with political support, Germany and Portugal. These are all European countries, however EMASOH is not initiated by the European Union.

References

  1. ↑ Breverton, Terry (2010). Breverton's Nautical Curiosities. 21 Bloomsbury Square, London: Quercus Publishing PLC. p. 169. ISBN   978-1-84724-776-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ↑ Smith, Lee G. (2020). "Why U.S.–Iran Feud Keeps Focus on Strait of Hormuz" . Bloomberg. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ Evans, D.; Heavens, L. (April 22, 2019). "Iran says ready for U.S. waivers end, as Guards threaten to shut Hormuz". Reuters. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. ↑ Cunnigham, E. (2020). "Top Iranian general warns U.S. against 'dangerous behavior' in Persian Gulf after Trump threat". The Washington Post.
  5. ↑ "Strait of Hormuz". Crisis Group. December 14, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ Marcus, Jonathan (April 24, 2020). "War of words raises fresh fears of US–Iran Gulf clash". BBC News. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Egypt: Will U.S. And NATO Launch Second Suez Intervention?". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ "World Oil Transit Chokepoints" (PDF). U.S. Energy Information Administration. July 25, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  9. ↑ Mojtahed-Zadeh, D. (2013). Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography. Routledge. ISBN   978-0700710980.
  10. ↑ Katzman, K., Nerurkar, N., O'Rourke, R., Mason, R. C. & Ratner, M. 2012. Iran’s Threat to the Strait of Hormuz, CRS Report for Congress.
  11. ↑ Lahabi, Omid (June 28, 2019). "Strait of Hormuz: Why does Iran threaten to close it?". euronews. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ Kahl, C. H. (2012). "Not Time to Attack Iran: Why War Should Be a Last Resort". Foreign Affairs. 91: 166–173.
  13. ↑ Rezaei, F. (2019). "Iran's Military Capability: The Structure and Strength of Forces". Insight Turkey. 21: 183–214.
  14. ↑ Sutton, H. I. "Iran Deploys Missiles Covering The Strait Of Hormuz". Forbes. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  15. ↑ Henseler, S. P. (2018). "Left of Splash" Legal Issues Related to the Use of Force to Counter Mining in the Strait of Hormuz. In: Schildknecht, J., Dickey, R., Fink, M. & Ferris, L. (eds.) Operational Law in International Straits and Current Maritime Security Challenges. Springer.
  16. ↑ Ramazani, R. K. (2013). Independence without Freedom: Iran's Foreign Policy. University of Virginia Press. JSTOR   j.ctt6wrj9g.
  17. ↑ Pham, J. P. (2010). "Iran's Threat to the Strait of Hormuz: A Realist Assessment". American Foreign Policy Interests. 32 (2): 64–74. doi:10.1080/10803921003697542. S2CID   154650063.
  18. ↑ Hicks, K. H. & Dalton, M. G. 2017. Deterring Iran after the Nuclear Deal, Rowman & Littlefield.
  19. ↑ University, Rockford Weitz, Tufts (January 7, 2020). "Explainer: Could Iran close the Strait of Hormuz?". Navy Times. Retrieved May 10, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ Yadlin, A.; Guazansky, Y. (2012). "The Strait of Hormuz: Assessing and Neutralizing the Threat". Strategic Assessment. 14.
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