Pentagon ‘comfortable’ with troop levels in Middle East ahead of review
Whether the United States pulls forces from the Middle East to counter China may well depend on the success of Biden's diplomacy with Iran
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is keeping a close eye on the US military’s presence in the Middle East as new Pentagon leadership prepares to review the distribution of American forces across the globe.
“It’s about making sure that we have a robust enough deterrent capability in the Middle East,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters on Friday.
“On a day-to-day basis, it’s very much on his mind to make sure that we have both the fixed and the rotational capabilities in the region to deal with the threats that are posed by Iran,” Kirby said.
The US currently has some 2,500 troops in Iraq, roughly 900 in Syria and an additional 2,500 in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. Thousands of additional American troops are based in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and more recently Saudi Arabia, while units continue to deploy to nearly every country in the region for partnered training.
