Operation Eager Glacier
Encyclopedia
Operation Eager Glacier was a secret U.S.
effort to spy on Iran
with aircraft in 1987 and 1988. The information gathered became part of an intelligence exchange between U.S. military intelligence services and Iraq
during the Iran–Iraq War.
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 .
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 . 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." 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
effort to spy on Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
with aircraft in 1987 and 1988. The information gathered became part of an intelligence exchange between U.S. military intelligence services and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
during the Iran–Iraq War.
Eager Glacier took place at the same time as other U.S. military operations in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, including Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will
Operation Earnest Will was the U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.The U.S. Navy warships that escorted the tankers, part of...
, the naval escort of Kuwaiti-owned tankers
Oil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
; Operation Prime Chance
Operation Prime Chance
Operation Prime Chance was a United States Special Operations Command operation intended to protect U.S.-flagged oil tankers from Iranian attack during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation took place roughly at the same time as Operation Earnest Will , the largely Navy effort to escort the tankers...
, the secret attempt to prevent Iranian forces from attacking Gulf shipping; and Operation Praying Mantis
Operation Praying Mantis
Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on April 18, 1988, by U.S. naval forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship....
, the retaliation for the mining of the U.S. guided missile frigate .
Years after, on 22 July 1992, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
William J. Crowe
William J. Crowe
Admiral William James Crowe, Jr. was a United States Navy Admiral who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, and as the ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Bill Clinton.-Biography:Crowe was born in La Grange, Kentucky...
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 . 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." 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.