Citing “Escalating” Iran Threats, Pentagon Sends 2nd Carrier, Patriot Missiles & THAAD to Middle East

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

President Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have made rapid moves to add missile defense and Naval forces to the Middle East in response to “escalations” by Iran and its proxy forces. 

The USS Ford and its supporting Carrier Strike Group has been in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea for at least a week, and now Austin is adding a second Carrier Strike Group to the area and activated the deployment of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile defense systems to the region. 

“Following detailed discussions with President Biden on recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East Region, today I directed a series of additional steps to further strengthen the Department of Defense posture in the region,” Austin said in a Pentagon statement. 

Austin has ordered that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group be re-directed to join the USS Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean. This is quite significant as the US Navy has already trained for “dual carrier” operations, the kind of interoperability which would enable a “massive” air attack campaign from the sea.  The USS Ford, as a new, high-tech carrier, already operates with a much larger deck space and the ability to maintain a 33-percent increase in a sortie rate. Adding the USS Eisenhower Strike Group can add very large amounts of additional airpower, particularly in the event that the two carriers are “networked” and can maintain interoperability and coordinate operations.  

“This carrier strike group is in addition to the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which is currently operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. It will further increase our force posture and strengthen our capabilities and ability to respond to a range of contingencies,” Austin said. 

Missile Defense to the Middle East

Patriot missile batteries and THAAD systems will clearly offer a protective envelope for US forces in the region and parts of Israel potentially vulnerable to long-range ballistic missiles from Iran.  The specific location of the Patriot and THAAD were not mentioned, likely for security reasons, yet these kinds of missile defense systems can protect US and Israeli force.