Mapped: U.S. rushes warships to Middle East in show of force to Iran
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The U.S. has positioned about 18 warships including two aircraft carriers in and around the Middle East as it seeks to deter Iran and its proxies from conducting attacks that could evolve into all-out war with Israel.
The big picture: This is a frantic year for the U.S. Navy. Some of the vessels operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have been combating the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels for months, while more Navy and Air Force assets are being brought in now as a show of force.
Zoom in: In addition to two carrier strike groups now operating in the Middle East, an Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron has already arrived in the region and the USS Georgia — a guided-missile submarine — is lurking nearby.
- Disclosing the location or destination of a submarine like the nuclear-powered USS Georgia is a rare and purposeful power move.
- Taken together, "there are easily more than 500 Tomahawk missiles ready to attack Iran and more than 100 aircraft ready to defend allies to respond," notes Bryan Clark, director of the Hudson Institute's Center for Defense Concepts and Technology.
Between the lines: All this firepower concentrated in the greater Middle East frustrates a long-standing Defense Department priority: pivoting to the Indo-Pacific.
- "The buildup will impact the Navy's ability to maintain a robust presence or response capacity in the Pacific, because many of these ships will end up in maintenance periods next year," Clark told Axios.
- Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the department "can walk and chew gum at the same time."
Driving the news: Hezbollah launched a missile and drone attack targeting Israel on Sunday, which Israel claimed to have largely blunted through preemptive strikes.
- Further retaliation for recent Israeli assassinations and attacks is expected from Iran and the Houthis.
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