A congressionally mandated commission is urging the Donald Trump administration not to rapidly cut US troops in the Middle East on the heels of the 2018 National Defense Strategy that called for the military to turn its attention to emerging threats from Russia and China.
“US security commitments and operations in the Middle East cannot be wished away,” says the National Defense Strategy Commission report released on Wednesday. “US military posture there should not shrink dramatically, even as the precise mix of capabilities is re-examined."