The Pentagon is sending 200 soldiers, a Patriot missile defense battery, and four radar systems to Saudi Arabia in response to Iran’s attack on Saudi oil facilities earlier this month.
The Thursday announcement follows a Friday Pentagon briefing in which Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford announced the United States planned to bolster Saudi defenses following the kingdom’s request for support. The Pentagon did not say when the forces will be deployed.
“This deployment will augment the kingdom’s air and missile defense of critical military and civilian infrastructure,” chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. “This deployment augments an already significant presence of U.S. forces in the region.”
Esper also put two more Patriot missile batteries and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System on “prepare to deploy orders” in case they are needed on short notice.
“It is important to note these steps are a demonstration of our commitment to regional partners, and the security and stability in the Middle East,” Hoffman said. “This follows the Secretary and Chairman’s extensive outreach to partners in the region, and around the globe.”
Esper said Friday that “all indications” point to Iran as the perpetrator of the attack on Saudi Arabia, which involved a mix of drones and cruise missiles. U.S. investigators are working with Saudi colleagues while they investigate the strikes, which disrupted 5% of the world’s daily oil supply.
“Other countries have called out Iranian misadventures in the region, and we look for them to contribute assets in an international effort to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s defense,” Hoffman said.
