{"id":46142,"date":"2019-09-20T23:44:31","date_gmt":"2019-09-20T23:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/20\/following-attacks-pentagon-prepping-to-send-troops-to-saudi-arabias-aid\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:11:48","slug":"following-attacks-pentagon-prepping-to-send-troops-to-saudi-arabias-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2019\/09\/20\/following-attacks-pentagon-prepping-to-send-troops-to-saudi-arabias-aid\/","title":{"rendered":"Following attacks, Pentagon prepping to send troops to Saudi Arabia\u2019s aid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. is preparing to deploy troops<\/a> to the Middle East as a response to what officials have deemed an Iran-based attack <\/a>on Saudi Arabian oil fields last week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper<\/a> told reporters Friday in a Pentagon briefing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number, origin and destination of those troops is to be determined, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the first step we\u2019re taking with regard to responding to these attacks,\u201d Esper said, not ruling out further escalation if the deployment does not deter further aggression from Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement came after a meeting with top Pentagon officials and the National Security Council on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The troops deployed will be \u201cdefensive in nature,\u201d Esper said, and focused on air and missile defense capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll talk to Central Command over the weekend, I\u2019ll talk to our Saudi partners, and we\u2019ll work the details of that,\u201d Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said, adding that details would be available early next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. already sent about 500 troops to Saudi\u2019s Prince Sultan Air Base this summer, the first such deployment since the U.S. stopped sending troops there after the Iraq invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cU.S. Central Command continually assesses force posture in the region and is working with Kingdom of Saudi Arabia authorities to base U.S. assets at the appropriate locations,\u201d CENTCOM spokeswoman Maj. Beth Riordan told Military Times on Monday. “The Prince Sultan Air Base enhances our defensive capabilities, operational flexibility, and increases our logistical resiliency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deployment would be in the hundreds, not thousands, Dunford clarified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe think, given the state of play now, and then based on whatever assessments we get from Central Command \u2026 we think for now, that would be sufficient, but that doesn\u2019t mean \u2015 there could be additional deployments as needed, based on the changing situation,\u201d Esper added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oil field attacks came after a series of belligerent moves by Iran this year, which Esper characterized as an increasingly isolated nation heading toward economic collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tensions have escalated with Iran during the Trump administration, who withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that is formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The deal put limits on Iran\u2019s nuclear program, and lifted crippling sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country has also been supporting an insurgency against Yemen\u2019s government, in addition to seizing a British oil tanker in July and attacking both a Japanese and Norwegian oil tanker in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we would be deploying to the theater would be what would be necessary to support and contribute to the kingdom\u2019s defenses,\u201d Esper said, before encouraging allies in the region to step up to condemn the attacks and come to the country\u2019s aid, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\t