Is The U.S. Navy Struggling To Deploy Repalcement Ships To The Middle East?

In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, front, and the landing ship USS Carter Hall travel through the Red Sea on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. | Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia/U.S. Navy  

Politico: As the Middle East heats up, the Navy struggles to deploy replacement ships  

Delays are emblematic of a wider issue with repair and maintenance in the Navy that has seen warships languish pierside for months after they had been scheduled to leave. 

A group of warships led by the USS Bataan has done it all over the past six months. 

From warning off Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf to patrolling the Red Sea to filling in for an aircraft carrier off the Israeli coast, the workhorse amphibious ships Bataan and USS Carter Hall and their force of 2,000 Marines have been at the center of the action in a volatile Middle East. Yet the group is past the point that it should have started heading home for some much-needed rest, and is still on station because replacements are in short supply.

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I am sure the US Navy can keep a necessary deployment of ships in the Middle East for as long as it takes. But there is going to be a heavy cost in resources, manpower, and monies.

Pentagon Says US Bases In Middle East Attacked 140 Times Since October 2023

(Photo credit: AFP) 

TASS: US bases in Middle East attacked 140 times since October 2023 — Pentagon 

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that 57 of these attacks targeted US bases in Iraq and 83 - in Syria

WASHINGTON, January 18. /TASS/. US bases in Iraq and Syria have been attacked around 140 times since October, 2023, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh has told reporters. 

She said that 57 of these attacks targeted US bases in Iraq and 83 - in Syria. 

In a statement, posted on the Telegram messenger, Shiite groups earlier warned the United States that they will step up their attacks in Syria and Iraq, because "the American enemy continues to provide military aid to the Israeli army, which is killing civilians in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon.  

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WNU Editor: Make it 141 attacks since October 2023 .... Iraqi Resistance targets US base near Erbil Airport with drones (Almayadeen).

US To Deploy 1,500 Troops To Syria And Iraq

 

CBS: New Jersey soldiers prepare for deployment to Syria and Iraq 

TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) – Soldiers from New Jersey are joining the fight against an Islamic militant group in the Middle East. 

This will be the largest deployment of New Jersey Army National Guard soldiers since 2008. Lt. Col. Omar Minott is among 1,500 New Jersey Army National Guard soldiers deploying to Iraq and Syria. 

This is his fifth deployment to the Middle East, he said. His deployment is part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a military campaign to defeat ISIS.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: US to send 1,500 troops to Syria and Iraq (The Cradle)  

Update #2: US to send 1,500 troops to Syria and Iraq (Middle East Monitor)  

WNU Editor: More escalation.  

Update #3: Iraq is denying these reports .... Baghdad denies 1500 US troops deployment reports (RUDAW).

Update #4: US bases in Iraq are under attack again .... Iraqi resistance strikes three US bases in Iraq, Syria (The Cradle). 

The White House Is Preparing For An Expansion Of The Gaza War

 

Politico: The war in Gaza may widen. The Biden admin is getting ready for it. 

That could put President Joe Biden in the center of a messy Middle East conflict in the midst of a bruising re-election campaign. 

Biden administration officials are drawing up plans for the U.S. to respond to what they’re increasingly concerned could expand from a war in Gaza to a wider, protracted regional conflict. 

Four officials familiar with the matter, including a senior administration official, described internal conversations about scenarios that could potentially draw the U.S. into another Middle East war. All were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive, ongoing national security discussions. 

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WNU Editor: Bottom line. The groundwork is being laid for even more US military aid being shipped to Israel and to support their war against Hezbollah.  The US is also clearly in planning stage to launch military operations targeting the Houthis in Yemen. 

Update #1: This is where the tensions are raising .... Tensions in the Middle East are rising beyond Israel. Here's where. (Washington Post).  

Update #2: I am not optimistic .... A widened Middle East war would be a disaster, but it can still be avoided (Stephen Collinson, Analysis by Stephen Collinson, CNN)

 The White House Is Preparing For An Expansion Of The Gaza War  

Amid Gaza war, regional escalation draws U.S. deeper into Middle East crisis -- Axios  

How tension in the Middle East is moving beyond Gaza and Israel -- RTE  

US preparing for expansion of Gaza conflict – Politico -- RT  

Concerns grow of escalating conflict in Middle East -- FOX News  

Attacks in Lebanon, Iran stoke concern over wider war in Middle East -- ABC News  

Middle East is sliding closer to the edge of a wider regional conflict -- Julian Borger, The Guardian

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken Heads Back To The Middle East As Regional Tensions Flare

 

DNYUZ/New York Times: Blinken Returns to Middle East as Tensions Grow With Israel 

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken is returning to the Middle East this week with the goals of getting Israel to curtail attacks that are killing thousands of Palestinian civilians and preventing the war from spreading across the region. 

But previously unreported details of a clash between Mr. Blinken and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel point to the challenges ahead. 

During a private meeting in November, Mr. Blinken told Mr. Netanyahu that the Israelis would have to agree to a series of pauses in the fighting in Gaza to let more aid flow into the war zone and to allow civilians to leave areas under attack.  

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WNU Editor: The EU's top diplomat is also in the region trying to defuse the situation .... US and Europe in diplomatic push to stop escalation of Gaza war (RTE). 

A prediction. This diplomatic push is going to fail. Israel is not going to change its war goals, and on the opposite sides the Arabs are furious with the military support that the U.S. is giving to Israel. 

This is a region where the "dogs of war" have been unleashed. And what concerns me is that I see no end to where all of this is heading. 

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken Heads Back To The Middle East As Regional Tensions Flare  

Blinken heads back to the Middle East amid attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq -- FOX News  

Blinken Arrives In Turkey On First Leg Of Middle East Tour -- AFP 

Blinken Heads to Middle East After Attacks in Red Sea, Iran -- Bloomberg 

Blinken returns to Middle East as regional tensions flare -- SEMAFOR  

Antony Blinken heads to Middle East in firefight mode as risk of escalation grows -- SKY News

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Force Now In The Gulf Of Oman

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) transits through the Suez Canal, Nov. 4, 2023. US Navy Photo  

USNI News: Aircraft Carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Now in Gulf of Oman 

Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and its escorts are operating in the Gulf of Oman after leaving the Red Sea earlier this weekend, USNI News learned. Ike and its escorts were operating off the coast of Oman as of Monday, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker, based on publicly available satellite imagery. The carrier passed through the Suez Canal on Nov. 4 and sailed through the Red Sea and past the Bab el Mandeb through the Gulf of Aden to its current location. 

The move is part of the overall U.S. naval buildup in Europe and the Middle East following the Hamas attacks outside of Gaza and the ongoing conflict in Southern Israel. 

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WNU Editor: This US carrier strike group is one of many military assets that have now been deployed to face Iran. My worry right now is that as this deployment of US military assets continues, the temptation to use them is also going to increase.

Attacks On U.S. Bases In The Middle East Are Escalating

 

CNN: US forces have been targeted in 4 more attacks since US strikes in Syria on Wednesday 

US and coalition forces have come under attack at least four more times since the US struck a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria on Wednesday evening, according to a US official. 

 On Wednesday evening, there were two multi-rocket attacks on US and coalition forces at Omar Oil Fields near Mission Support Site Green Village, Syria, and a one-way drone attack on forces at Mission Support Site Euphrates, Syria. 

One of the rocket attacks on Green Village resulted in three US troops suffering minor injuries, the official said.  

Read more .... 

Attacks On U.S. Bases In The Middle East Are Escalating  

Drone, Explosive Attacks Target US Forces Across Iraq -- Reuters  

Pentagon confirms four new attacks on US bases after defensive airstrike -- The Hill

US forces targeted in broadest Iraq attacks since start of Israel-Hamas war -- The Guardian

U.S. Nuclear Subs Being Deployed To The Middle East

An Ohio-class submarine transits the Suez Canal, Nov. 5, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jonathan Word) 

CNN: In rare announcement, US says guided missile sub has arrived in Middle East, a message of deterrence to adversaries 

In a rare announcement, the US military said a guided missile submarine has arrived in the Middle East, a message of deterrence clearly directed at regional adversaries as the Biden administration tries to avoid a broader conflict amid the Israel-Hamas war. 

US Central Command said on social media Sunday that an Ohio-class submarine was entering its area of responsibility. A picture posted with the announcement appeared to show the sub in the Suez Canal northeast of Cairo.  

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U.S. Nuclear Subs Being Deployed To The Middle East  

Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Ohio transits Suez Canal with Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group -- Navy Recognition 

Navy Sub with Tomahawk Cruise Missiles Joins Middle East Buildup as Attacks on US Military Forces Continue -- Military.com 

US submarine Florida enters Persian Gulf to deter Iran — Bloomberg -- TASS

 US posts unprecedented picture of nuclear submarine in naked warning to Iran -- NYPost  

US sends in submarine as Iran-backed attacks continue in Syria, Iraq -- Al-Monitor  

The US submarine which just went east of Suez is a special operations mothership -- The Telegraph

Attacks On US Troops In The Middle East Continue To Rise

 

CNN: 8 more attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria as Iranian-backed militias ramp up their attacks 

Washington CNN — American troops were attacked an additional eight times since Friday morning by one-way attack drones and rocket barrages in Iraq and Syria as US forces face ramped up attacks by Iranian-backed groups. 

The new incidents – one on Friday afternoon, another on Saturday, five more on Sunday and one on Monday morning – mark a total of at least 38 attacks on US and coalition forces in those two nations since October 17, just days after the start of a bloody war between Israel and Hamas.  

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Attacks On US Troops In The Middle East Continue To Rise  

Attacks on US troops in Middle East spike amid military buildup -- Politico  

Pentagon: 38 Attacks Target US Forces in Iraq, Syria -- VOA  

Attacks on US troops in Middle East rise over the weekend -- The Hill  

New attacks hit US bases in Iraq, Syria as Iran ups threats over Gaza -- Al-Monitor  

Pentagon: US bases in Iraq, Syria attacked 38 times in under a month -- Middle East Monitor

There Are Currently 40,000 U.S. Ground Troops In The Middle East

Axios: Where U.S. troops are stationed in the Middle East 

With the Israel-Hamas war escalating, the United States risks becoming involved in a larger conflict that could entangle some of the more than 40,000 U.S. military personnel based across the region.  

Why it matters: U.S. troops and military contractors in Iraq and Syria have been targeted in over a dozen attacks by Iranian-backed militia groups since Hamas' surprise attack against Israeli civilians and soldiers on Oct. 7. 

 * Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned of the "prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region." 

 * Between the lines: The attacks, as well as a wider war, could reverse efforts in recent years to reduce the U.S. presence in the Middle East as part of a strategic pivot to toward the Pacific.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: More U.S. troops are being deployed .... US Sends 300 More Troops To Middle East (Zero Hedge/Epoch Times).

U.S. Forces In Iraq And Syria Have Been Attacked With Drones Or Rockets At Least 24 Times In Recent Days

FILE -- Military vehicles of U.S. soldiers are seen at the al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq, January 13, 2020.  

 VOA: 24 Attacks Target US Forces in Iraq, Syria 

Pentagon — U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked with drones or rockets at least 24 times in recent days, including at least three attacks on Monday, according to U.S. defense officials. 

At least five of these attacks were launched after U.S. forces struck two facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and affiliated groups during the early morning hours of Friday. 

None of the attacks carried out since the U.S. retaliatory strikes on Friday have caused casualties or damage, according to defense officials. 

The latest attack on Monday used multiple rockets to target al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, a defense official told VOA on condition of anonymity due to security sensitivities. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: These attacks are not going to stop anytime soon.

U.S. Forces In Iraq And Syria Have Been Attacked With Drones Or Rockets At Least 24 Times In Recent Days

Iran proxies step up attacks against American forces overseas in light of US support for Israel -- FOX News

Iran says strikes on US troops are due to its support for Israel, presence in region -- Times of Israel  

Attacks on US Forces in Iraq and Syria Continue After American Airstrikes -- Air And Space Forces Magazine

U.S. Rushing To Deploy Missile Defense Systems To The Middle East

U.S. Deploys Missile Defenses to Middle East Following Recent Attacks © pawel supernak/Shutterstock.

Wall Street Journal: U.S. Deploys Missile Defenses to Middle East Following Recent Attacks 

WASHINGTON—The U.S. has deployed an antiballistic missile defense system and several Patriot missile battalions to the Middle East, the Pentagon said, days after U.S. bases and a U.S. warship came under drone attack. 

The attacks on a base in Syria and at least three in Iraq, plus the interception of missiles and drones by a U.S. missile-guided destroyer in the Red Sea over the past week raised fears that the fighting between Israel and Gaza-based Hamas militants could expand into a regional conflict. 

 Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I agree with those who are saying that Israel has delayed its Gaza offensive because of US pressure that it needs to first deploy missile defense systems at its bases in the Middle East. 

U.S. Rushing To Deploy Missile Defense Systems To The Middle East 

U.S. sending more missile defense systems to Middle East amid escalation concerns -- Axios 

Israel to delay ground invasion so US can position missile defense: Report -- News Nation

Israel Delays Gaza Invasion (Again) As US Scrambles To Put Missile Defenses In Place -- Zero Hedge

US Military Forces Ramp Up Security Measures Amid Escalating Threats in the Middle Eas

US soldiers guard an oil field in Deir Ezzor Governorate, Syria, March, 2019.  

Reuters: Exclusive: US military steps up Middle East surveillance as threats to troops grow

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is taking new steps to protect its troops in the Middle East as concerns mount about attacks by Iran-backed groups, and it is leaving open the possibility of evacuations of military families if needed, officials tell Reuters. 

The measures include increasing U.S. military patrols, restricting access to base facilities and hiking intelligence collection, including through drone and other surveillance operations, officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

The U.S. military is also beefing up monitoring from guard towers on U.S. military facilities, hiking security at base access points and increasing operations to counter potential incoming drones, rockets and missiles, the officials say.  

Read more .... 

Update: US Army Ramps Up Security Measures Amid Escalating Threats in the Middle East (BNN) 

WNU Editor: US involvement in the Israel - Hamas war has made US forces in the Middle East a target .... Intelligence shows Iranian-backed militias are ready to ramp up their attacks against US forces in the Middle East (CNN). More here .... Iran-Backed Militias Pose Rising Threat to U.S. Forces in Middle East (BNN).

Attacks On U.S. Troops In Middle East Are Ramping Up

 

Politico: Attacks on U.S. troops in Middle East ramp up as Israel conflict escalates  

The episodes add a dangerous new element to the fighting in Gaza and deepen fears that Iran might take a more regional approach to fomenting violence. 

A spate of new attacks on American troops in the Middle East this week is threatening to further entangle the United States in a new regional war, even as the Biden administration tries to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from escalating. 

U.S. forces in multiple locations across Iraq and Syria came under attack by aerial drones targeting their positions on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder. One American contractor died of a cardiac episode while seeking shelter from the attacks; other troops sustained minor injuries.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. These attacks are going to escalate. 

Attacks On U.S. Troops In Middle East Are Ramping Up  

US Troops Attacked in Iraq, Syria and on Alert for More Strikes -- Reuters  

Rockets, drones hit Iraqi base housing U.S. forces -security sources -- Reuters  

US shoots down three one-way attack drones targeting US forces in Iraq within 24 hours, Pentagon says -- CNN  

Iran-backed Shia militias target 2 U.S. bases in Iraq -- Long War Journal  

Pentagon says drone attacks on US troops in Iraq thwarted, with ‘minor injuries’ -- The Hill  

US intercepts drones aiming to strike military forces in Iraq as Washington is on heightened alert for attacks -- Daily Mail  

US troops shoot down third drone over Iraq as Biden visits Israel -- Al-Monitor  

Drones attack a US military base in southern Syria and there are minor injuries, US officials say -- AP  

Drone attack on US military base in Syria causes minor injuries — US officials -- Times of Israel  

Drones target US troops in Middle East for second day in a row -- Starts and Stripes  

US troops in Syria targetted by drones- officials -- Reuters

Thousands Of US Troops Are Being Deployed Towards Israel (Update)

 

Washington Post: U.S. sending sailors, Marines toward Israel, defense officials say 

The United States is sending an amphibious task force of thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines toward Israel, where they will be positioned aboard warships in case the conflict there with Hamas expands. 

Two defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss planned military movements, said Monday that the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, numbering more than 4,000 sailors and Marines, will join a growing American fleet off the coast of Israel that will include two aircraft carriers and their associated escort ships. 

Read more .... 

Update #1: Thousands of US Marines are sailing to Israel while the Pentagon orders 2,000 additional troops to ready for potential deployment, reports say (Insider)

Update #2: Ships, Planes, Weapons, Troops: Here’s All the Military Support the U.S. Is Readying for Israel (Time)  

WNU Editor: About 19,000 US military personnel and counting.

U.S. Deploys 3,000 Marines And Navy Ships To The Middle East To Deter Iran

More than 3,000 🇺🇸 Sailors & Marines of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group & 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the Middle East, Aug. 6, as part of a pre-announced Department of Defense deployment.

Read more ⬇️https://t.co/H3fokPX1e0 pic.twitter.com/DC7Hpkju9h

— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) August 7, 2023

UPI: Thousands of Marines, additional U.S. warships arrive in Middle East 

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Thousands of Marines and additional U.S. warships have arrived in the Middle East as the American military boosts its presence to counter Iranian aggression in the Strait of Hormuz. 

The more than 3,000 U.S. sailors and Marines arrived in the Middle East on Sunday aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said Monday. 

The personnel and equipment of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed to the Middle East under orders of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in what the Pentagon last month said was a demonstration of commitment "to ensuring freedom of navigation and deterring Iranian destabilization activities in the region."  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I suspect this is not going to be the last deployment. 

U.S. Deploys 3,000 Marines And Navy Ships To The Middle East To Deter Iran 

3,000 Sailors and Marines Arrive in Middle East aboard USS Bataan, USS Carter Hall -- Navy.mil  

US deploys more than 3K sailors, Marines to Middle East following Iran’s targeting of ships -- FOX News 

Thousands of Marines and sailors deploy to Middle East to deter Iran from seizing ships -- ABC News  

Thousands of US troops arrive in Red Sea amid ratcheting Iran tensions -- Al Jazeera  

US deploys 3,000 troops to Middle East -- RT

China Moves To Replace The U.S. As A Security Guarantor With The Petro-Monarchies

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Xi Jinping to Riyadh (YouTube screen grab).  

Thomas Lifson, American Thinker: China is moving in to replace the US with Gulf oil monarchies 

It's hard to overstate the potential impact of a move underway that — thanks to Biden's catastrophic diplomacy — could result in China replacing the U.S. as a security guarantor with the petro-monarchies that control so much of the world's oil reserves. 

Bloomberg reports:  

Oil-rich gulf monarchies are leveraging their wealth to deepen ties with China amid anxiety about the future of their longstanding security partnership with the US. 

Seven months after President Xi Jinping participated in the first China-Gulf summit in Riyadh, economic exchanges between the world's second largest economy and nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been accelerating — moving well beyond crude purchases where Beijing has been dominant for years.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: This Bloomberg article is a must read .... Middle Eastern Wealth Flows to China Amid Anxiety About US Ties (Bloomberg).

U.S. Deploys F-22s To Jordan To Counter Russian Military Actions In The Region

Footage of four USAF (🇺🇸) F-22 Raptors at Muwaffaq Salti AB, Jordan (🇯🇴). The jets were deployed to the region on June 9 ''in the wake of increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior by Russian aircraft in the region.''https://t.co/oPgXccBNX8 pic.twitter.com/YAbtoZAYzp

— Aerospace Intelligence (@space_osint) June 14, 2023

Warzone/The Drive: F-22 Deployment To Middle East Aimed Squarely At Russia In Syria  

The Air Force’s top commander in the Middle East says that Iranian support for Russia’s war in Ukraine may be fueling incidents in Syria. 

U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters recently arrived in the Middle East as part of a broader and explicit show of force in direct response to actions in recent months by elements of the Russia's military in the region. American forces have been experiencing an uptick in unsafe and unprofessional Russian aerial activity in skies over Syria and this may be tied in part to Iranian support for the latter's war effort in Ukraine. That's the view of the Air Force's top commander in the Middle East. 

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WNU Editor: CENTCOM knows that the U.S. military presence in Syria (see map below) makes it an ideal target for Iranian backed groups in the region. But by deploying F-22s the U.S. is sending a message that if US forces are threatened or attacked they will respond. 

But respond against who? 

The F-22s are too valuable to be used on bombing missions. They are there to shoot down enemy planes. Or more specifically .... Russian military aircraft. 

You can take this to the bank. If F-22s start shooting down Russian military aircraft, we will be on the brink of World War 3.

U.S. Bolstering Its Military Presence In The Middle East After Iran Seized Two Merchant Ships In Recent Weeks

Ensign Gordon Kitchener looks out from the bridge of the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), May 9, 2023 in the Arabian Gulf. (US Navy) 

CNN: US bolstering defense posture in the Persian Gulf after Iran seized two merchant ships in recent weeks  

The US will bolster its defensive posture with heightened patrols in the Persian Gulf after destabilizing actions by Iran this past month to interfere with and seize commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and other strategic waterways, according to a US National Security Council spokesperson. 

“[The] United States will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize freedom of navigation through the Middle East waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz,” National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told reporters on Friday, adding that there is “simply no justification” for Iranian actions to interfere, harass or attack merchant ships. 

Read more .... 

U.S. Bolstering Its Military Presence In The Middle East After Iran Seized Two Merchant Ships In Recent Weeks  

U.S. 5th Fleet Increasing Patrols in Strait of Hormuz in Response to Iranian Seizures -- USNI News  

US military to bolster defensive posture in Gulf after Iran seizes tankers -- Reuters  

US to Send Reinforcements to Gulf After Iran Ship Threats -- AFP  

U.S. boosts military presence in the Middle East after Iran seizes tankers -- Politico  

US to bolster ‘defensive posture’ in Gulf: White House -- Al Jazeera

U.S. Deploys A-10s With Bunker Busting Bombs To The Middle East In A Message To Iran

An A-10 Thunderbolt II takes off at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on April 19, 2023, to test a software patch that allowing the plane to carry 16 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. U.S. Air Force / William R. Lewis 

Defense One: A-10s Return to Middle East with a New Mission, and a New Weapon 

Tensions with Iran, Russia have CENTCOM calling upon the venerable Warthog once again. 

A squadron of A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets, specially modified to nearly triple their bomb loads, has been dispatched to the Middle East to boost U.S. airpower in the region amid increased tensions with Iran-backed forces in Syria. 

The Warthogs will get software updates enabling them to carry up to 16 Small Diameter Bombs within weeks, said Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who leads Air Forces Central Command. 

“They're really here as a message to both assure our partners…but also as…a true capability that can work against some of the threats that we face with respect to Iran,” Grynkewich said in an interview Thursday. 

With each plane carrying four SDB bomb racks, a flight of four A-10s could bomb up to 64 ground targets, a nearly three-fold increase. Each plane can also carry laser-guided rockets along with its famed 30mm tankbusting gun.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I think this is also a message to Russia in Syria, and to the Gulf states who are seeking better ties with Iran AND China. 

U.S. Deploys A-10s With Bunker Busting Bombs To The Middle East In A Message To Iran  

U.S. Arms Warplanes With 'Bunker Busting' Bombs in Message to Iran -- WSJ  

Air Force squadron in Middle East arms up with 'bunker busting' bombs to counter Iran -- FOX News  

A-10 attack plane Air Force wants to retire gets new mission, more bombs -- Business Insider  

US sends warplanes with bunker-busting bombs to Mideast in message to Iran — report -- Times of Israel