On August 2, 2024, the United States Department of Defense published an official press release stating the US’s intentions following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas. The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, currently deployed in the Middle East, will be relieved and replaced by the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which currently falls under the umbrella of US CENTCOM.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has also approved additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the U.S. European Command and U.S. CENTCOM regions. Secretary Lloyd has also approved the deployment of an additional fighter jet squadron to the region.
“These posture adjustments add to the broad range of capabilities the U.S. military maintains in the region, including the USS WASP Amphibious Ready Group / Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) operating in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
These actions are performed in an effort to deescalate tensions in the Middle East by show of force, as tensions have severely risen since the assassination of Hamas’s leader while visiting Iran. Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination and has all but promised massive retaliation. It’s safe to assume that the United States Department of Defense is expecting these tensions to rise further and the threat to be credible as the Middle East is slowly plunged into all-out conflict.
Sources:
(2024, August 2). Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Statement on Force Posture in the Middle East. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3860557/deputy-pentagon-press-secretary-sabrina-singh-statement-on-force-posture-in-the/
Reuters.Com. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/pentagon-tells-israel-it-will-adjust-us-troops-middle-east-2024-08-02/
Baker, G. (2024, August 2). US deploys jets and warships as Iran threatens Israel. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw5y5637eqdo
Jazeera, A. (2024, August 1). F-16 fighter jets land in Ukraine to bolster defence against Russia. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/1/f-16-fighter-jets-land-in-ukraine-to-bolster-defence-against-russia-report
(2024, August 2). US to boost military presence in Mideast, sending fighter jet squadron and keeping carrier in region. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/us-military-israel-iran-hamas-hezbollah-418a990ab69cb766e126c60dbaebedb3
(2024, August 2). https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/08/02/us-military-israel-iran-attack/
(2024, August 2). Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3860559/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iiis-call-with-israeli-minister/
Comments