US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the immediate deployment of more ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadrons and tanker aircraft, besides several B-52 long-range strike bombers, towards the Middle East region.
Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon Press Secretary, said in a statement on Friday that the moves follow U.S. commitments to citizen and forces protection in the Middle East, the protection of Israel, and de-escalation through "deterrence and diplomacy".
Troops are expected to flow into the region over coming months, replacing the retiring USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, he said.
"These deployments will add to the recent decision to deploy THAAD missile defense to Israel in addition to DoD's maintained Amphibious Ready Group Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) posture in the Eastern Mediterranean," he said, adding these movements show the "flexible nature of US global defense posture and US capability to deploy worldwide on short notice to meet evolving national security threats.".
According to reports, the Pentagon press secretary stated that Defence Secretary Austin "continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary to defend our people".
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