Tensions in the strategic chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz have increased ahead of that and another U.S.-led military exercise in the region scheduled for the autumn. Earlier this week, the U.S. Navy confirmed the “early deployment” of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis to the Persian Gulf. The Stennis will replace one of the two carriers currently operating in the region, which along with their escorts are to be augmented by more minesweepers, ostensibly to participate in the “International Mine Countermeasures Exercise, 2012.” The new deployments come just days after a tense moment when a U.S. Navy ship mistakenly shot up a fishing boat out of the UAE, killing one of the fishermen.