{"id":26304,"date":"2020-01-29T20:31:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T20:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/29\/us-expands-troop-fighter-jet-presence-at-saudi-base\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:21:10","slug":"us-expands-troop-fighter-jet-presence-at-saudi-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2020\/01\/29\/us-expands-troop-fighter-jet-presence-at-saudi-base\/","title":{"rendered":"US expands troop, fighter jet presence at Saudi base"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia \u2014 Across the vast expanse of this desert air base, hundreds of tents have popped up and F-15E fighters from the recently arrived 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron line the tarmac, flying daily missions over Iraq and Syria. Off in the distance, two American Patriot missile batteries are scanning the skies, prepared to knock down any Iranian attack against the Saudi kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the U.S. announced it had begun deploying forces to what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/07\/21\/officials-us-putting-troops-back-in-saudi-arabia\/\" target=\"_blank\">once was a major U.S. military hub<\/a>. The return of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/10\/11\/f-15s-air-defense-systems-and-thousands-of-us-troops-heading-to-saudi-arabia\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. forces to Prince Sultan Air Base<\/a> is one of the more dramatic signs of America\u2019s decision to beef up troops in the Middle East in response to threats from Iran. The Strike Eagles of the 494th, the \u201cMighty Black Panthers,\u201d deployed from RAF Lakenheath, England, are capable of executing strategic attack, interdiction and counter-air missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Wednesday, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East spent a few hours meeting with his commanders and troops here, assessing what he called a \u201csweet spot\u201d of U.S. force projection in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prince Sultan Air Base, said Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, presents a complicated target for Iran to hit and provides a remote location for U.S. troops, fighter jets and other assets. It also provides greater security for Saudi Arabia, which asked for U.S. help in the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/09\/20\/following-attacks-pentagon-prepping-to-send-troops-to-saudi-arabias-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\">an Iranian drone and missile attack <\/a>on oil facilities in the kingdom last September.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/23\/us-central-command-general-says-troop-surge-in-middle-east-may-not-end-soon\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20023588124750.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US Central Command general says troop surge in Middle East may not end soon<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Over the past eight months, the United States has poured more than 20,000 additional troops into the Middle East to counter the escalating threat from Iran that peaked with the recent missile attack on American forces in Iraq.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, the large white tents that flap in the stiff winds give a temporary feel to the mission. But according to Air Force Col. Jason King, vice commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing here, there is \u201cprudent planning\u201d underway that could lead to the tents being replaced with trailers and other more permanent structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saudi Arabia is a decades-long American ally, a relationship initially built on America\u2019s dependence on Middle East oil. The military connection has been strong, even during periods of stress in the broader relationship, including in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in which most of the hijackers were Saudis. The kingdom also has been harshly criticized in Congress for the 2018 killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and for its role in errant airstrikes in Yemen that have killed or injured many civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McKenzie is careful when asked how long the U.S. will stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think this is an important part of our architecture right now and we will continue to evaluate that as we go forward,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a well defended place and we can put a lot of combat power here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20029447897402.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, Prince Sultan Air Base\" class=\"wp-image-54958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20029447897402.jpg.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20029447897402.jpg.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20029447897402.jpg.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20029447897402.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20029447897402.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East, meets with troops at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2019, where America has recently deployed fighter jets, Patriot missile batteries, troops and other systems. (Lolita Baldor\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The base\u2019s future, he told reporters traveling with him, is part of a discussion with Defense Secretary Mark Esper about how many forces are needed in the region. That calculation is being made against the backdrop of President Donald Trump\u2019s push to get U.S. forces out of the Middle East and end what he calls America\u2019s \u201cendless wars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to troops inside one of the large tents, McKenzie acknowledged the less-than-ideal living conditions. But he said their presence sends a signal to Iran that the U.S. is serious, and it also gives him more options for any military action in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The base is a vivid representation of the struggle to balance the escalating threats in the Middle East against the Pentagon\u2019s insistence that the U.S. military shift more of its focus to Asia and the risks from China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. tensions with Iran have been roiling for months but spiked after the U.S. carried out a drone strike in Iraq that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/03\/iraq-rockets-fired-at-baghdad-airport-7-people-killed\/\" target=_blank>killed Qassem Soleimani<\/a>, Iran\u2019s top general. In response, Iran on Jan. 8 fired as many as two dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases where U.S. troops were stationed. The U.S. had no Patriot defenses at those bases because it judged other locations, in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Gulf, to be more likely Iranian targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. officials contend that both sides do not seek war and have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/01\/08\/trump-says-iran-is-standing-down-after-missile-attacks-on-us-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\">moved to de-escalate<\/a>, but threats from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria still pose a worrisome threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4978\" height=\"2800\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia\" class=\"wp-image-10169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg 4978w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5999540.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4978px) 100vw, 4978px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">C-130 Hercules loadmasters and aerial porters stand-by as a K-loader moves into position to unload cargo at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 24, 2019. (Tech. Sgt. Michael Mason\/Air Force)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wednesday\u2019s stop at Prince Sultan Air Base was the second time in a week that McKenzie has visited a military site in the Middle East where the U.S. recently set up Patriot batteries to protect against missiles fired by Iran and Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq. Reporters accompanied McKenzie to the first site on the condition they not disclose its location for security reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any possible future conflict with Iran, McKenzie said, \u201cis not going to be a ground maneuver war, it\u2019s going to be a war of fires, it\u2019s going to be a war of ballistic missiles, a war of unmanned aerial systems and cruise missiles. So the ability of nations in the region to provide for their air defense is going to be important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a little more than a year ago when then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis pulled four Patriot batteries out of Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. It was all part of the Pentagon\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/12\/08\/pentagon-chief-plans-to-shift-us-focus-to-china-and-russia\/\" target=_blank>national defense strategy that pointed to China and Russia<\/a> as key adversaries and the top priorities for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2020\/01\/17\/smith-thornberry-join-congressional-pushback-on-espers-africa-troop-drawdown-plan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/USARMYTimes5.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Esper\u2019s Africa drawdown snags on Capitol Hill<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Top lawmakers on the armed services committees are warning against removing American forces from parts of Africa.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the rapidly escalating threat from Iran \u2014 which includes attacks against tankers and other commercial ships in the Gulf region as well as the strikes against Saudi facilities and U.S. troops \u2014 has forced the U.S. to reverse those moves and send even more of the high-tech systems to the region. In addition to the Patriots, the U.S. has also sent a THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system, which complements the Patriots by providing a defense against ballistic missiles traveling outside the Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Army Lt. Col. Tom Noble, there are four Patriot batteries in Saudi Arabia, including the two at Prince Sultan Air Base. Noble, the commander of the Air Defense Artillery Battalion, said each battery has from six to nine truck-based missile launchers that routinely scour the air for threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed from Washington.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the U.S. announced it had begun deploying forces to what once was a major U.S. military hub.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":54955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1354],"class_list":["post-26304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"FADWFIOKMVDULLUX3WGOI6VHSM","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/29\/us-expands-troop-fighter-jet-presence-at-saudi-base\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US expands troop, fighter jet presence at Saudi base - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the U.S. announced it had begun deploying forces to what once was a major U.S. military hub.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US expands troop, fighter jet presence at Saudi base\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the U.S. announced it had begun deploying forces to what once was a major U.S. military hub.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2020\/01\/29\/us-expands-troop-fighter-jet-presence-at-saudi-base\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-29T20:31:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:21:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lolita C. 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