A US Navy carrier strike group equipped with F-35 stealth fighters is rushing to the Middle East along with a submarine packed with Tomahawk missiles
- The US is accelerating the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
- It is also sending a guided-missile submarine to the region, adding to existing firepower there.
The US is accelerating the deployment of a carrier strike group to the Middle East and sending a guided-missile submarine to the region, the Pentagon announced late on Sunday.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin initially directed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East earlier this month as the region braced for a potential attack on Israel by Iran and its proxies in retaliation for the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
With tensions in the region still running high, Austin ordered the Lincoln to accelerate its transit to the Middle East from the Western Pacific, where it was a few days ago, according to a statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Attached to the Lincoln, the lead ship of the US Navy's Carrier Strike Group 3, is a carrier air wing equipped with a squadron of fifth-generation F-35C stealth fighters.
When it arrives in the Middle East region, the Lincoln will complement the existing capabilities provided by the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, which was in the Gulf of Oman as of last week.
The Pentagon on Sunday said Austin has also ordered the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia, an Ohio-class vessel armed with over 150 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles, to the Middle East. According to US European Command, the sub was in the Mediterranean Sea as of July 31.
It is unusual for the US to disclose the movement of its submarines except in instances when the intention is to send a message to regional rivals and adversaries.
The announcement followed a call between Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during which they discussed "efforts to deter aggression" by Iran and its proxies.
A readout of the call said that "Secretary Austin reiterated the United States' commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of US military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions."
The Middle East has been on edge for the past two weeks after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and then became the leading suspect in the assassination of Hamas' political chief in Iran just hours later.
Both Iran and Hamas vowed revenge for the shocking killings, which sparked fears that any retaliation from Tehran and its proxies could send the Middle East spiraling into even more conflict.
In a move aimed at defending Israel and American forces stationed in the Middle East, the Pentagon earlier this month directed additional military assets to the region, including the Lincoln carrier strike group, additional warships that are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, and a squadron of F-22 Raptors, fifth-generation stealth fighters.
The US already has a wide range of capabilities in the region. The USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group has been operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Pentagon has had warships operating off the coast of Yemen.