U.S. Central Command Commander: U.S. Military To Maintain Expanded Mideast Presence

Photo: Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie Jr., the head of U.S. Central Command, speaks to troops on the USS Bataan on Jan. 23. (Missy Ryan/The Washington Post)

Washington Post: U.S. military to maintain expanded Mideast presence, for now at least, following Iran strikes

ABOARD THE USS BATAAN IN THE RED SEA — The United States hopes to avert a conflict with Iran but will maintain an expanded military footprint in the Middle East amid heightened tensions, the head of U.S. Central Command said Thursday during a visit to the region.

Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie Jr. said that new air, naval and troop deployments were intended to restore deterrence and send a signal to Tehran following a period in which tit-for-tat Iranian and U.S. attacks pushed the region to the brink of war.

“The message is, we don’t seek war with you. You should not seek war with us. And we would like to de-escalate to a lower level of tensions, if that’s possible,” McKenzie told reporters after visiting the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship operating in the northern Red Sea.

The general’s public remarks were his first since an American airstrike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Jan. 3. The U.S. government viewed Soleimani, who was the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, as the mastermind of years of violence against American personnel.

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Update: US Central Command general says troop surge in Middle East may not end soon (Military Times/AP)

WNU Editor: Considering how high tensions are with Iran, I do not foresee any serious US military draw-down  in the Middle East for the foreseeable future.