US shifts Patriot missile defense system from Asia to Middle East
The general in charge of the US military in Asia said that a Patriot missile defense system was recently moved to the Middle East from the Indo-Pacific region.
Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) chief Adm. Sam Paparo told lawmakers this week it took 73 C-17 cargo planes to transfer one Patriot to the region.
This comes on the heels of the increased military force posture ordered by the Trump administration as the US president threatens to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and continues to launch daily attacks on Houthi targets inside Yemen.
Other air defense assets deployed by the US recently include Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) systems, reportedly to Israel.
A second US aircraft carrier also arrived in the Middle East, the US military said on Thursday, equipped with its air wing of F-35C fighter jets.
The USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group is now accompanying the USS Harry S. Truman, which has been in the region since December. The bombing campaign against the Houthis escalated on March 15 after President Donald Trump ordered a more aggressive approach to pressure the militant group to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
The Carl Vinson was also shifted from the INDOPACOM area of responsibility. The Truman is expected to return to her home base in the United States for regular maintenance in the next few weeks.
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