F-35s, F-16s, more ships: The US keeps bolstering Middle East military - analysis

Days after US officials said that the US would send F-16s to the region, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, more reports emerged on Tuesday of the US sending warplanes to the region. This appears to be an increasing crescendo of messaging designed to deter Iran and Russia.

It’s worth recalling that the US has already sent F-22s to the region and A-10s and has done flights with B-52s. There is no shortage of US Air Force assets and other weapons within the CENTCOM area of responsibility. However, the decision to keep releasing details on these deployments is clear messaging to Iran and Russia. 

How Russia and Iran are harassing, threatening US forces in the Middle East

Russia has been harassing US forces in Syria. Russia is focused on Ukraine but Moscow also recently torpedoed a UN deal that enables aid from Turkey into Syria. This could destabilize northwest Syria where Turkey operates. On the other side of the coin, Russia wants the US to feel less secure in eastern Syria. Iran is also threatening US forces in Iraq and Syria. Iran has also been harassing ships in the Persian Gulf.

Therefore, there are a lot of areas for the US to try to protect. A recent image released by the Department of Defense showed a US soldier in Kuwait practicing counter-drone operations.  

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