US deploys air defence systems to Saudi Arabia

The United States is sending one Patriot missile defence battery and four ground-based Sentinel radars to Saudi Arabia to bolster the kingdom’s defences following the attack on Saudi oil facilities blamed on Iran, the Pentagon said Thursday.

“This deployment will augment the kingdom’s air and missile defence of critical military and civilian infrastructure. This deployment augments an already significant presence of US forces in the region,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said.

The air defence systems will be accompanied by around 200 support personnel.

Two additional Patriot batteries and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) were also given orders to maintain a heightened readiness to speed up a possible deployment, the Pentagon said.

The US military already has tens of thousands of troops spread across the Gulf region, including in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.

Via NYT