Armed forces website Military.com is reporting that the U.S. is quickly moving more ships and tanker aircraft to the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to escalate. The U.S. Navy is rushing a fresh aircraft carrier to the region. Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., has introduced legislation to prevent President Trump from initiating military action without explicit approval from Congress.
Military.com confirmed that a U.S. official told the news source that the carrier USS Nimitz is enroute to join the carrier USS Carl Vinson strike group. It is unclear if the move is to double up carrier participation, or if the Nimitz will simply relieve the Carl Vinson, which is nearing the end of a scheduled deployment.
In addition, the Navy is adding a third destroyer to the region to increase the U.S. presence off the coast of Israel. All three are able to bring ballistic missile defense systems to bear.
In a statement on Monday (June 16), Sen. Kaine said, “I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict. The American people have no interest in sending service members to fight another forever war in the Middle East. This resolution will ensure that, if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.”
The tail wagging the dog !
Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid, primarily in the form of military assistance. This aid has helped transform the Israeli military into one of the world’s most capable and effective forces. Let them sort it out without further involvement of our troops, sailors or airman.