The U.S. will send old A-10 attack planes to swap for more advanced combat aircraft in the Middle East as part of efforts to shift more modern fighters to the Pacific and Europe to deter China and Russia, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The deployment of the A-10s, scheduled for April, is part of a broader plan that also calls for retaining modest naval and ground forces in the Middle East region, the report added, citing U.S. officials.