WASHINGTON – As US-led wars against the Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban wind down, the top US commander in the Middle East is signaling that he prefers to leave a sizable contingent of troops in the region in order to deter Iran — and now Congress wants to know how much it will cost.

House lawmakers have included a provision in their version of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Defense Department to regularly report on one of the military’s hidden price tags for warding off Tehran’s ambitions in the region.

The draft legislation reveals the House Armed Services Committee’s particular interest in a broad but little-known program called Operation Spartan Shield.

Established in 2012 to help compensate for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Spartan Shield is a military partnership program responsible for building Washington's relationships with armed forces in countries across the Middle East and Central Asia, from Egypt to Oman to Kazakhstan. In return, the Pentagon hopes to gain – and maintain – basing in those countries.