US to deploy Patriot battery, 200 support personnel to Saudi Arabia
The United States will be deploying a Patriot
battery, four Sentinel RADARs, and nearly 200 support personnel to Saudi Arabia
in response to the recent attack on Saudi Aramco oil facilities, the US
Department of Defense confirmed in a statement.
“In light of recent attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, and at their invitation, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper announced
today that the U.S. would deploy the following equipment to the kingdom: One
Patriot Battery, Four Sentinel RADARs, and approximately 200 support
personnel,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
“This deployment will augment the kingdom's air and
missile defense of critical military and civilian infrastructure. This
deployment augments an already significant presence of U.S. forces in the
region,” the spokesperson added.
The deployment details clarify the Pentagon's Friday
announcement about U.S. plans to deploy more forces to Saudi Arabia after the
Sept. 14 attack on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility, which
Washington has blamed on Iran.
The statement said Esper also approved placing
additional forces on Prepare To Deploy Orders (PTDO).
“While no decision has been made to deploy these
additional forces, they will maintain a heightened state of readiness,” Hoffman
said.
Those PTDO orders will include two Patriot batteries
and one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD).
