White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that “prudent contingency planning” is being done in case the Israel-Hamas war spreads and Americans need to be evacuated from the Middle East. Kirby said, “It would be imprudent and irresponsible if we didn’t have folks thinking through a broad range of contingencies and possibilities.” Meanwhile, more U.S. forces are being deployed to the Middle East with the latest being a squadron of F-16’s from the New Jersey Air National Guard. The U.S. is also returning two Iron Dome systems to Israel purchased a few years ago for evaluation and training purposes, and beefing up the air defense for multiple countries in the Middle East. A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Battery is being sent to Saudi Arabia as well as Patriot batteries. Patriot systems are also being sent to Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. Navy already has a substantial presence in the region with the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and battle group, and the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group in the Eastern Mediterranean. The USS Dwight D Eisenhower and battle group is also heading to the Eastern Mediterranean but will transit the Suez Canal and likely take up station in the Red Sea or Persian Gulf.
