(Los Angeles Times) David S. Cloud - The Pentagon quietly shifted combat troops and warships to the Middle East after Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who heads U.S. Central Command, warned that he needed additional forces to deal with Iran and other potential threats, U.S. officials said. The White House approved the deployments late last year after talks with the government in Baghdad broke down over keeping U.S. troops in Iraq, but the extent of the Pentagon moves is only now becoming clear. Officials said Thursday that the deployments are intended as a quick-reaction and contingency force in case a military crisis erupts in the standoff with Tehran. The Pentagon has stationed nearly 15,000 troops in Kuwait and has decided to keep two aircraft carriers and their strike groups in the region.
2012-01-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive