(Dan Tri) – The United States is increasingly making moves to increase its presence in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas forces.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in the Atlantic Ocean (Photo: US Navy).
The US Marine Corps’ rapid reaction force is heading to the waters off the coast of Israel, while the Pentagon is preparing for US soldiers to deploy to the area.
Two defense officials familiar with the US military’s plans said a quick reaction force of 2,000 marines and sailors is being mobilized.
On the evening of October 15, defense officials said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered about 2,000 soldiers to prepare to deploy to Israel to support missions such as medical and logistics support.
According to US officials, these moves are intended to prevent a larger-scale war from spreading throughout the region.
Defense officials emphasized that the United States has no plans to send American soldiers to directly fight in the conflict between Israel and Hamas forces.
However, the planning and deployment of the force demonstrated the type of support the United States could provide to Israel, including managing logistics far from the front lines and providing medical assistance.
These decisions are also made in the context of the US military increasing its presence in the Middle East, including the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the eastern Mediterranean, joining the carrier strike group.
The US military is ready to assist
The Pentagon has been deliberately cautious in discussing any possibility of deploying US troops to Israel, officials said, because the Biden administration does not want to create the impression that the US could
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which specializes in missions such as amphibious operations, crisis response, humanitarian assistance and some special operations, has been stationed near Kuwait in recent years.
Officials did not specify where exactly the Marine unit would be deployed, other than saying they were heading to Israel.
USS Bataan and MEU 26 have been operating in the Middle East since August in an effort to deter Iranian action in key waterways around the region, including the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
The Wall Street Journal was the first newspaper to report on the possibility of deploying US troops to Israel.
Gen. James `Spider` Marks, a CNN military analyst, said that if the decision is made to deploy troops to Israel in a support role, it will likely include a number of elements for good support.
