Report: 'Mothership' racing toward Mideast WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The Pentagon is expediting a request for a so-called mothership to function as a Middle East staging base for U.S. commandos, Defense Department records show. Citing procurement documents, The Washington Post reported Friday the vessel -- a warship that had been headed for decommissioning -- is being converted to be able to accommodate air and sea craft used by Navy SEALs. A spokesman for the U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command, Lt. Cmdr. Mike Kafka, would not comment on where the vessel is to be deployed or what its mission will be, but other Navy officials told the Post the operation is moving ahead quickly, with plans calling for the makeshift staging base to be deployed to the region this summer. The newspaper said Navy documents suggest the ship's destination could be the Persian Gulf. The United States and other powers have warned Iran not to make good on its threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical segment of the delivery system for a substantial amount of the world's oil supply.