The head of US Central Command, US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, said on Tuesday that the United States was in the process of bringing air defense systems into Iraq to protect American troops.
“We are also in the process of bringing air defense systems, ballistic missile defense systems, into Iraq in particular, to protect ourselves against another potential Iranian attack,” McKenzie said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Earlier this year, the Pentagon said it was trying to secure permission from Iraq to take Patriot missile defenses into the country to better defend US forces after Iran’s Jan. 8 missile attack.
During the hearing, McKenzie listed Iran as the primary US concern in the CENTCOM area of operations, which includes the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“Our presence sends a clear signal about our capabilities and our will to defend partners and US national interests,” the general said. “Going forward, it is CENTCOM’s objective to posture forces in the region with the operational depth to achieve a consistent state of deterrence against Iran and be adaptable to future Iranian threats.”
Iran fired ballistic missiles at the Ain al-Asad base in western Iraq on the night of Jan. 7-8 to retaliate for a US drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani while he was in Baghdad.
