Strike a deal or face a strike: US continues military buildup in the Middle East

When President Trump proclaimed the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group to the Middle East as an American "armada", some experts raised their eyebrows.

For while the aircraft carrier is certainly an impressive display of military might, one carrier strike group does not an armada make, but several weeks later all that has changed.

The arrival of more warships and warplanes in the region constitutes the biggest buildup of US forces in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

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There is now no doubt that the assets the US has amassed in the region constitute an armada – one that puts dozens of Iranian military targets within striking distance should nuclear negotiations fail.

Let's take a look at what Mr Trump has at his disposal in more detail.

Air power and airlifts

At least 200 heavy transport flights of C-17 and giant C-5 Galaxy aircraft are believed to have arrived in the Middle East since mid-January. 

These aircraft have carried advanced air defence Patriot missiles and THAAD systems into Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and possibly Kuwait, augmenting systems that were already positioned in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

These defensive capabilities would come into play if Iran were to ignite a regional war, as they are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, thereby minimising damage to other regional US allies such as Israel.

Alongside tankers, the US has brought in a significant number of fighter aircraft, including F-35s, F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16s, into the region. Muwaffaq Salti airbase in central Jordan is playing host to many of these jets, alongside Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The US has also been prepositioning refuelling KC-135 and KC-46 refuelling aircraft across Europe, allowing for the rapid replenishment of fighter aircraft if required. 

Sea power

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been positioned off the coast of Oman, in the Arabian Sea, for some time. She is equipped with roughly 60 F/A-18 and F-35 attack aircraft, while her strike group also includes three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, which carry Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of over 1,000 miles. 

Abraham Lincoln is set to be joined shortly by the USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, which has been in the Mediterranean since 20 February, having conducted a high-speed crossing of the Atlantic from operations in the Caribbean. 

Other assets include five Arleigh Burke class destroyers across the Persian Gulf, northern Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, plus another three set to arrive alongside the USS Gerald R Ford. Several of these are equipped with high altitude Standard Mark 3 missiles capable of intercepting Iranian missiles targeting Israel. 

Land power

It's not yet clear which nations in the region could allow the US to use their geographical position to launch strikes on Iran – but it's likely the UK won't be among them, as UK is reportedly denying use of the base on Diego Garcia, the sensitive base at the centre of the Chagos deal between the UK and Mauritius, or RAF Fairford for US bomber missions against Iran. 

There are, however, 12 F-22 fighter aircraft based at RAF Lakenheath.

It is also possible that Qatar and the UAE will not allow strikes from their territory, preferring a negotiated solution with Iran.

So far, there is no sign of the US deploying bomber aircraft such as B-1B Lancers, B-52s or B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to Europe, the Middle East or the Indian Ocean.