How are American forces preparing for the worst eventuality in the Middle East?

The New York Times addressed the support and logistics plans that American forces are preparing for the worst possibilities in the Middle East, and said that the Pentagon has sent about 4,500 soldiers to the region in addition to the fifty thousand already deployed in it, amid escalating tension with Iran.

The newspaper says in its report - prepared by its Washington correspondent, Thomas Gibson Neve, and shared by Eric Schmidt - that the Americans are strengthening their front sites, bases and airports in the region.

American military units stationed in Iraq and Syria are preparing to confront attacks that might be launched by Iranian forces or their proxies after the strike by an American drone that killed the commander of the Quds Force, Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and the strongman, deputy head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Authority, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, near Baghdad International Airport. last week.

The newspaper adds that it is not clear what the Iranian retaliatory attack will look after the killing of General Soleimani, who has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of soldiers over the years.

Deploying new forces in Iraq and Kuwait
The newspaper points to some of the events that have spurred the flow of new American forces, among them first: the killing of an American contractor in Iraq following a missile attack launched late last month by Iranian-backed militia.

Second: The protests that approached the US embassy in Baghdad in the wake of a series of American air strikes on the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq and Syria.

Third: The strike that was struck by an American plane that killed Soleimani and the engineer.

The report adds that these new US airborne forces and other ground forces will primarily act as two defensive forces aimed at strengthening US bases and complexes in the area and responding to any possible attack, and that no major ground attacks have been planned yet.

Deployed units
The newspaper adds that nearly four thousand soldiers - a brigade - of the 82nd Airborne Division stationed in Fort Prague, northeastern United States, have begun to deploy in Kuwait.

And I attributed to a senior American officer that these forces can be deployed quickly to defend or enhance the security of American embassies, consulates and military bases in the region.

Hundreds of soldiers will also be deployed to various places in the Middle East, including paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy, according to a Defense Ministry official.

The officer pointed out that it is inconceivable to plan any larger conflict with Iran, to be a large ground invasion, as happened in the Gulf War in 1991 or the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Iranian targets
Instead, he says, any prolonged conflict will depend more on the air and naval forces, as well as on cyber attacks, to hit Iranian targets or Iran's agents in the region.

The officer pointed out that other units include about a hundred Marines from the 2nd Battalion, the 7th Marine Regiment that was deployed in Kuwait as part of a special purpose force designed to respond to emergencies in the Middle East.

He adds that 2,200 Marines and a squadron of aircraft, fighters and transport aircraft are on the way to the Middle East aboard US Navy ships, in part of the pre-established deployment.


American forces deployed in the region
The report states that there are between 45,000 and 65,000 US military personnel now deployed in the Gulf states, including about 5,500 soldiers in Iraq and six hundred in Syria.

The newspaper adds that in response to Iranian attacks and provocations since last May, the Pentagon has deployed about 14,000 additional soldiers in the Gulf region, including about 3,500 additional soldiers in Saudi Arabia.

American military assets
US military assets include early warning aircraft, naval patrol aircraft, air defense and missile batteries, the Patriot, B-52 bombers, launchers, Reaper drones, and other engineering and support personnel.

As for Bahrain, it is the home of the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy, which leads warships patrolling the region.

In Qatar, the sprawling base of Al-Adeed includes about ten thousand soldiers, as this base is considered the headquarters of the American air operations in the region, and it hosts a fleet of air refueling tankers, along with the reconnaissance plane.

What are they doing?
The report says that at any time, the American forces in the region behave in a manner similar to the work of the central nervous system, as was the case in the long American wars since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

He explains that soldiers, sailors, Marines and crew members manage the headquarters, re-supply nearly 12,000 to 13,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, and launch hundreds of surveillance missions across the region.

The number of forces in the area changes greatly depending on the presence of an aircraft carrier (currently Truman), and whether there is a large group of Marines in those waters.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Mediterranean is likely to pass soon, heading towards the Red Sea, and the Truman aircraft carrier will remain in the area until sometime next month or the following month, where it will be supported or replaced by the Eisenhower carrier.

The newspaper concludes that Eisenhower aircrew crews have already been informed of possible long-range bombing missions ... so what will they do ?!