The United States is not considering sending 14,000 American troops to the Middle East, the Pentagon said in a statement today. But a spokesperson did not rule out deploying more forces to the region amid reports of increased threats from Iran after lawmakers grilled the Defense Department’s top policy official earlier in the day.
The denial from the Pentagon marks the third time the agency has sought to refute a Wall Street Journal report indicating that the United States was considering doubling the number of troops sent to counter Iran’s military activity. The news came after the US Navy seized a cache of missiles allegedly made by Iran and bound for Yemen by sea earlier this week. The New York Times reported that Tehran had shifted short-range missiles into Iraq.
“We adjust our force posture and troop levels based on adversary action and the dynamic security situation,” Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “Secretary [Mark] Esper spoke to Chairman [Jim] Inhofe this morning and reaffirmed that we are not considering sending 14,000 additional troops to the Middle East at this time.”
Under pressure from senators in a hearing on Thursday, John Rood, undersecretary of defense for policy, appeared to confirm the United States was considering adding troops after calling the story “erroneous.” Freshman Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked Esper to provide immediate clarification on the Pentagon’s plans during the Armed Services Committee hearing.
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