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| Pentagon Closes Military Units in the Middle East |
Washington - A United States Air Force unit that helped build airfields in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries in the region has closed. This was revealed by a Pentagon official, as the US seeks to change its military involvement in the Middle East.
"The Air Force Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Unit Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer [RED HORSE] is a special, expeditionary capability unit," the US military official said. To mark the end of its service, the 557th RED HORSE Expedition held a ceremony last weekend at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Washington is slowly reducing the number of troops it has in the Middle East, especially after a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
According to the Biden administration's new national security strategy, released last week, US foreign policy too often falls short of military-centric policies backed by unrealistic beliefs in power and regime change to deliver sustainable results. And with the main threats to US national security emanating from China and Russia, the US has adjusted its political and military posture to adapt. US media Stars and Stripes first reported the unit's closure and reported the Air Force's 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was decommissioned last month.
“We have changing priorities,” Colonel Anthony Figiera, Commander of the 99th Mission Support Group, told Stars and Stripes. Read: Saudi Arabia officially proposes BRICS membership, the US is getting emotional. However, the US continues and will continue to be involved in the Middle East.
In February, the US Air Force announced that it hoped to complete 38 active construction projects by the next month. The $1.4 billion construction is part of a master plan that includes providing commanders with mission flexibility and improved airfield and flight path operations.
The new framework for foreign policy outlined in the national security strategy says the US will ensure its allies in the Middle East are able to defend themselves against foreign threats. The new strategy also states that the US will not allow foreign or regional powers to jeopardize the free flow of navigation through Middle Eastern waterways.