- Operation Eager Glacier
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Related U.S. operations in bold
Kaman 99 – Abadan – 1st Khorramshahr – Morvarid – Dezful – Undeniable Victory – 2nd Khorramshahr – Samen-ol-A'emeh – Jerusalem Way – Jerusalem – Ramadan – Before the Dawn – Dawn 1 – Dawn 2 – Dawn 3 – Dawn 4 – Dawn 5 – Dawn 6 – Marshes – Kheibar – Badr – Al-Anfal Campaign – 1st Al Faw – Dawn 8 – Karbala 4 – Karbala-5 – Karbala-6 – USS Stark Incident – Karbala Ten – Nasr 4 – Earnest Will – Prime Chance – Eager Glacier – Nimble Archer – Halabja – Zafar 7 – 2nd Al Faw – Praying Mantis – Air Flight 655 Incident – MersadOperation Eager Glacier was a secret U.S. effort to spy on Iran with aircraft in 1987 and 1988.[1] The information gathered became part of an intelligence exchange between U.S. military intelligence services and Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War.[2]
Eager Glacier took place at the same time as other U.S. military operations in the Persian Gulf, including Operation Earnest Will, the naval escort of Kuwaiti-owned tankers; Operation Prime Chance, the secret attempt to prevent Iranian forces from attacking Gulf shipping; and Operation Praying Mantis, the retaliation for the mining of the U.S. guided missile frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58).
Years after, on 22 July 1992, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William J. Crowe testified to the House Armed Services Committee regarding charges that the Pentagon had concealed evidence about the 1988 downing of an Iranian airliner by the U.S. Navy cruiser USS Vincennes (CG-49). As Crowe denied the coverup charges, he spoke briefly about Eager Glacier and other efforts to provide U.S. intelligence to Iraq. Crowe said that Pentagon officials had briefed "the pertinent congressional committees" about Eager Glacier on October 5, 6, and 13 October 1987. He also said, "Incidentally, in my judgment, these exchanges were not especially profitable."[3] The author of the book No Higher Honor, also made comments on how spy plane intelligence between pilots nearly cost them their lives in Eager Glacier's outcome, which was how "For those who had somehow failed to get the picture," it signaled the end of the operation.[4]
References
- ^ Barry, John (1992-08-13). "The Secret War". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/126359. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ Arkin, William M. (2005). Code Names: Deciphering U.S. Military Plans, Programs, and Operations in the 9/11 World. Hanover, New Hampshire: Steerforth Press. p. 350. ISBN 1586420836. http://www.codenames.org/.
- ^ Testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Statement by Admiral William Crowe, July 22, 1992.
- ^ Peniston, Bradley (2006). "Operation Eager Glacier, p. 89". No Higher Honor. http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/index.shtml. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
Categories:- Conflicts in 1987
- Conflicts in 1988
- Non-combat military operations involving the United States
- Military operations of the Iran–Iraq War
- Iran–United States relations
- Iraq–United States relations
- Battles and conflicts without fatalities
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