US to Deploy More Bombers, Fighter Jets to Middle East as Carrier Strike Group Departs

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington on Feb. 1, 2024. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The United States will deploy more bombers, fighter jets, and warships to the Middle East in a bid to enhance its military posture as a carrier strike group prepares to depart, the Pentagon stated on Nov. 1.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of ballistic missile defense destroyers, fighter squadron and tanker aircraft, and several B-52 long-range strike bombers to the region, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Ryder said that these additional forces are expected to arrive in the coming months as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group departs the region.

“These movements demonstrate the flexible nature of U.S. global defense posture and U.S. capability to deploy world-wide on short notice to meet evolving national security threats,” he stated.

Ryder said the Pentagon chief “continues to make clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every measure necessary” to defend its people.

The Pentagon did not specify the number of troops that will be deployed as part of these changes. Ryder said in August that there are about 40,000 U.S. service members stationed in the region.

The Pentagon previously announced that it would reinforce its defensive air support capabilities in the region and put additional U.S. troops on heightened readiness to deploy to the Middle East.

On Oct. 16, the U.S. military used B-2 long-range stealth bombers to strike Iran-backed Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which covers the Middle East.

The United States has sought to boost its military presence in the region as Israel has continued its ground offensive operation against Hamas in Gaza while also retaliating against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel also launched retaliatory strikes on military targets in Iran on Oct. 26, which sparked concerns that regional tensions could further escalate as Iran has threatened to retaliate.

The Israel Defense Forces said that the Oct. 26 strikes were a response to “months of continuous attacks” from the Iranian regime against Israel. Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israel on Oct. 1, although many were intercepted by Israeli missile defenses with assistance from U.S. naval destroyers.

Austin has previously warned that Iran “should not make the mistake” of responding to Israel’s strikes but instead consider it as the end of the two nations’ exchange.

Tensions between Iran and Israel escalated after the Hamas-led attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and about 250 people were taken hostage. Israel launched retaliatory strikes in Gaza later that day. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is under Hamas control, said that Israel’s military action in Gaza has led to more than 43,000 deaths to date.