Pentagon to Deploy Around 2,000 Additional Troops to Saudi Arabia by Gordon Lubold and Nancy Youssef – Wall Street Journal
The Pentagon is deploying three new antimissile systems, two squadrons of jet fighters and approximately 2,000 additional troops to Saudi Arabia in an accelerating U.S. buildup meant to counter Iranian hostilities in the region, officials said Friday.
The move represents the largest of three rounds of U.S. military deployments to Saudi Arabia since July, and comes as U.S. lawmakers hold a negative view of arms sales and support to Riyadh.
The Pentagon will deploy two Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries as well as a Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system, or Thaad, which provides broader air defenses against the ballistic missile threat for much of the region, officials said.
The additional troops will join approximately 700 service members that had been deployed in previous rounds, including some to Prince Sultan Air Base, about 80 miles southeast of Riyadh…