The Pentagon said Friday it was cutting the number of troops and airdefense units deployed to the Middle Eastlink, confirming a Wall StreetJournal report that eight Patriot batterieslink were being moved out from theregion.
The move comes as President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to easetensions with Iran after they heated up in 2019 and saw a strong escalationin the US link military presence across theregion.
The Wall Street Journal said the Patriot anti-missile batterieslink were being removed from Iraq,Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and that a separate anti-missile system,called THAAD, was being transferred from Saudi Arabia as well.
Each battery requires hundreds of troops and civilians to operate andsupport them.
Pentagon spokesperson Commander Jessica McNulty said that some of the unitswere being redeployed to other countries and some were returning to theUnited States for maintenance.
She would not say where the redeployed units were being moved to.
“This decision was made in close coordination with host nations and with aclear eye on preserving our ability to meet our security commitments,” shesaid in an email.
“We maintain a robust force posture in the region appropriate to the threatand are comfortable that these changes do not negatively impact ournational security interests,” McNulty said.
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“We also retain the flexibility to rapidly flow forceslink back into the Middle Eastlink as conditions warrant.”
The US link military is rapidly adjusting itsglobal footprint as it pulls out of Afghanistan entirely and sees a greaterthreat from China in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Pentagon also slashed its troop presence in Iraq last year to 2,500,supporting Iraqi forces link in theirfight against the Islamic State group.
Iran is still viewed as a major threat across the Middle Eastlink, but the Biden administrationis in negotiations to restore the agreement on Tehran halting its nucleardevelopment program, which would also see some sanctions on the countrylifted.
“The Defense Department maintains tens of thousands of forceslink in the Middle Eastlink, representing some of our mostadvanced air power and maritime capabilities, in support of USlink national interests and our regionalpartnerships,” McNulty said. -APP/AFP
