The Pentagon is scrambling to deploy the U.S.S. Ponce, an amphibious transport docking ship, to deal with rising tensions in the Middle East. The Navy was planning to retire the ship, which was decommissioned in March, but will instead outfit it to be floating base that can house high-speed boats and helicopters that SEAL teams often use. Officials are hoping the ship can be in the region by early summer to combat the rise of Iran, which has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, and al Qaeda in Yemen. The ship will allow U.S. Special Operations Command greater flexibility in responding to pirates like SEAL Team 6 did on Wednesday.
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