A congressionally mandated commission is urging the Donald Trump administration not to rapidly cut US troops in the Middle East on the heels of the 2018 National Defense Strategy that called for the military to turn its attention to emerging threats from Russia and China.

“US security commitments and operations in the Middle East cannot be wished away,” says the National Defense Strategy Commission report released on Wednesday. “US military posture there should not shrink dramatically, even as the precise mix of capabilities is re-examined."

Why it matters: While the bipartisan commission selected by Congress broadly endorsed the National Defense Strategy calling on the Pentagon to modernize its technology to fight adversaries that can closely match American military power, the influential panel’s push to retain troops in the Middle East could hold sway over the US administration.

The 12-member panel includes a former deputy secretary of defense and other former top officials. Specifically, the panel wants the US military to keep significant assets in the region, such as special operations troops, close air support assets (such as F-35 fighter jets and A-10 attack aircraft) and Army brigades, organized to train local forces. If a fight kicks off with Iran, the commission report wants the United States to have aircraft carriers at the ready (the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left the Middle East in March).