US strengthens its military presence in Middle East – what we know so far
As tensions continue to grow in the Middle East, the US has decided to strengthen its military capabilities throughout the region.
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin has spoken with Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant and reiterated the US "commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel".
The statement from the Pentagon follows Iran recently vowing retaliation against Israel, which is widely believed to be responsible for the killing of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
Currently, the UK is in the process of deploying military personnel to the region following the UK Government's call for all British nationals to leave Lebanon as a response to the tensions.
The Biden administration has increasingly come under fire for its support of Israel with rising reports of Israeli strikes continuing across the Gaza Strip.
Israel has attacked several shelters in Gaza in the past few weeks, including a school building sheltering displaced Palestinians, which an Israeli military spokesman said "served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility".
The latest US Defence Secretary's statement has however reaffirmed they remain resolute in their support for their ally, and seek a ceasefire.
Here is what we know following the latest US statement about its military capability being deployed to the Middle East.
Mr Austin has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, which had been in the Indo-Pacific, to accelerate its transit to the Central Command area of responsibility.
This will add to the capabilities already provided by theUSS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, which had been scheduled to head home, to be replaced by the Abraham Lincoln.
The F-35 fighter jet is a "powerful force multiplier" with advanced sensors and communications suites operating close to the battlefield and from an elevated position, significantly enhancing a force's capabilities.
The F-35C carrier variant combines lessons learned from previous aircraft with technology to produce a fighter that looks to retain its stealthy advantage with minimal low observable maintenance.
Additionally, the US Secretary has ordered the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) guided missile submarine to the US Central Command region.
Rarely does the US Navy reveal the location of its submarines.
The approximately 18,750-ton submarine USS Georgia recently finished a series of training events with US Marines, which included conducting dive operations.
According to the US Navy, she has a submerged speed of 20+ knots (23+ MPH; 36,8+ KPH)
As well as having a crew of 15 officers and 150 enlisted, its detailed armament contains 154 Tomahawk missiles and 4 torpedo tubes.
The latest statement from the Pentagon also stated that Mr Austin and Minister Gallant discussed Israel's operations in Gaza.
It states that they are focused on the "importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza and our efforts to deter aggression by Iran, Lebanese Hizballah, and other Iran-aligned groups across the region".
However, it remains unclear as to what Iran intends to do in response or what it could be planning to do.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
