The Pentagon has ordered the US military to be ready for rapid action if the situation in the Middle East worsens. The announcement of the additional force appeared in Politico and was made by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
There are additional forces deployed in the region than in April, when Iran carried out missile and drone attacks. Kirby said the Americans have powerful military capabilities that can provide protection, including support for Israel.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its squadron remain in the Middle East, and the USS Wasp amphibious operations group, with the amphibious assault ships USS New York and USS Oak Hill, Marines and F-35B fighters, will operate in the eastern Mediterranean.
Austin ordered enhanced contingency response readiness and pledged to send additional air support capabilities to the region. It also pledged support from an enhanced presence of DoD fighter and strike squadrons, including F-22, F-15E, F-16 and A-10 aircraft.
