As Marine Corps Sgt. James Irsley Poynter's platoon was being surrounded by enemy troops in Korea, he refused to let his men become overwhelmed. Poynter managed to break his trapped comrades out of the chaos through heroics that took his life. For that
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending additional bomber aircraft and Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster the U.S. presence in the region[1] as an aircraft carrier and its warships are preparing to leave, U.S. officials said Friday.
Austin ordered several B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft, tanker aircraft and Navy destroyers to deploy to the Middle East[2], according to four U.S. and defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.
The moves come at a critical time as Israel's wars with Hamas[3] in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon rage, even as officials press for a cease-fire. The U.S. has repeatedly said it will defend Israel and continue to protect American and allied presence in the region, including from Yemen-based Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea.
The long-range nuclear-capable B-52 bomber has been repeatedly deployed to the Middle East[4] in pointed warnings to Iran and it is the second time this month that strategic U.S. bombers will be used to bolster U.S. defenses in the region. Earlier this month, B-2 stealth bombers[5] were used to strike underground Houthi targets in Yemen.
Officials did not provide specific number of aircraft and ships that will move into the region. There have been as many as 43,000 U.S. forces in the region recently.
According to a U.S. official, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and the three Navy destroyers in its strike group are scheduled to leave the Middle East by mid-month and return to their home port in San Diego.
The Lincoln and two of its destroyers are now in the Gulf of Oman, and the third destroyer is with two other warships in the Red Sea.
When the Lincoln departs, there will be no aircraft carrier in the Middle East for a period of time, the official said. To make up for that gap, Austin is ordering the deployment of other Navy destroyers to the region.
Those destroyers, which are capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, would come either from the Indo-Pacific region or Europe, the official said.
The shifts are likely to result in an overall decrease in the number of U.S. troops in the region, largely because an aircraft carrier contains as many as 5,000 sailors. But the addition of bomber aircraft beefs up U.S. combat strength.
Eventually, it is expected that the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its three warships will move to the Mediterranean Sea, but they won't get there before the Lincoln departs. The Truman strike group has been in the North Sea, participating in a NATO military exercise.
Officials declined to say how long there will be a carrier gap in the Middle East. Military commanders have long argued that the presence of an aircraft carrier strike group, with its array of fighters jets, surveillance aircraft and heavily armed warships is a significant deterrent, including against Iran.
There are two destroyers and the Marine amphibious ready group – which includes three ships – in the Mediterranean Sea.
"Growing up, I knew I wanted more," Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Angel Segarra recalled. "Where I come from, people don't usually make it out. The Navy was my way out and my way forward and joining was a decision that truly saved my life."
One of the Pentagon's top generals is under investigation for allegedly shoving an airman on a flight in early September, a defense official and a spokesperson for the Army Criminal Investigation Division confirmed to Military.com.
Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, who oversees U.S. Central Command, allegedly put his hands on an airman during a C-17 Globemaster III[2] flight on a trip to Israel after becoming frustrated with access to communications and following a heated argument with the flight crew, one defense official with direct knowledge of the situation said.
"The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is aware of an alleged incident and is currently looking into it," Mark Lunardi, a CID spokesperson, said in a statement to Military.com. "No additional information is available at this time."
Kurilla is among the highest-profile senior officers in the Pentagon. Central Command oversees troops and operations in Asia and the Middle East, including much of the U.S. military's role in Israel and its ongoing combat operations in Iraq and Syria.
He had not been suspended from his position as of Thursday afternoon, but officers who commit offenses that break decorum or laws are commonly suspended with pay[4] pending the conclusion of investigations, which can take months.
Before his current role, Kurilla served as the commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps. His resume also includes commanding the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment. He was commissioned into the Army[5] as an infantry officer in 1988.
During his career, Kurilla has been awarded the Bronze Star for valor and two Purple Hearts[6]. He's a veteran of the U.S. invasion of Panama, the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The news comes as Army Gen. Charles Hamilton, who as head of Army Materiel Command oversaw much of the service's logistics operations, remains suspended[7] following a Military.com investigation that found he may have subverted the Army's selection process for its senior commanders, improperly propping up a subordinate officer otherwise deemed unfit for command.
Whether Hamilton is outright fired is now in the hands of Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. If he's terminated, he would be the first Army 4-star fired from their position in a decade.
As Marine Corps Sgt. James Irsley Poynter's platoon was being surrounded by enemy troops in Korea, he refused to let his men become overwhelmed. Poynter managed to break his trapped comrades out of the chaos through heroics that took his life. For that
"Growing up, I knew I wanted more," Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Angel Segarra recalled. "Where I come from, people don't usually make it out. The Navy was my way out and my way forward and joining was a decision that truly saved my life."
