US Sending Guided-Missile Submarine to Middle East

This came a week after the Pentagon announced that it would deploy more fighter jet squadrons and destroyers to the Middle East in response to Iran’s threats.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) (L) the Royal Navy air defense destroyer HMS Defender (D 36), and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) transit the Strait of Hormuz in this handout photo on Nov. 19, 2019. Zachary Pearson/U.S. Navy via Getty Images

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Aug. 11 ordered the deployment of the USS Georgia guided-missile submarine to the Middle East amid mounting tensions between Israel and Iran.

The Pentagon stated that Austin gave the instruction after speaking with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during which he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to “take every possible step” to defend Israel.