The deployment of thousands of Marines and sailors consists of both the USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship. Now, America will have part of a Marine expeditionary unit in the region for the first time in nearly two years. Stealth F-35A Lightning II fighter jets arrived last week. The Pentagon ordered F-16 fighters, as well as the destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, to the region. In late March, A-10 Thunderbolt II warplanes arrived at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. It conducted a Strait of Hormuz patrol with the top U.S., British and French naval commanders in the region on board. military has again begun dialing up its Mideast presence. Navy has responded with increased patrols. China continues its push to control more of the South China Sea, and the U.S.

Russia’s war on Ukraine shifted some of the American focus back to Europe. Washington’s worries have changed since then. The last Marine expeditionary unit - an armada carrying Marines, aircraft and vehicles prepared for an amphibious assault - came through in November 2021. The USS Nimitz sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz in November 2020 as the last American carrier in the Persian Gulf. But slowly, the Pentagon began to wind down the naval presence, leaving a gap of months that brought gasps from Gulf Arab states and commentators worried about Iran.

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