A discussion about whether to send additional American military forces to the Middle East following the attack on two oil tankers will take place this coming week among President Donald Trump’s national security team, two U.S. officials told CNN on Sunday.
The talks will concentrate on what specific forces are needed to counter Iranian aggression, although the officials said that combat troops are not being considered. Instead, the talks are to center on deploying more Patriot missile batteries, fighter jets and ships.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan hinted at the considerations over the weekend when he said that since 15 percent of of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, “we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate but we also need to broaden our support for this international situation."
Already over the weekend, top national security officials met at the White House to talk about a proposal the Pentagon is considering to send more forces to the Persian Gulf region, according to The New York Times.
Last month, additional forces were sent to the region as tensions escalated with Iran. At that time, Gen. Frank McKenzie, the Central Command commander, made an initial request for thousands of troops based on the capabilities needed, several U.S. officials said at the time, but only a smaller deployment was sent.
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