The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday that Iran's recent "campaign" of threatening activities led to the United States ramping up pressure on the regime and sending an armada of ships to the Persian Gulf to deal with the increased threat.
According to Defense One, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford spoke at the Brookings Institution and went into more detail about the Pentagon's decision — which was made in concert with the White House — to send more ships and troops to the Middle East.
"We saw something that looked more like a campaign than an individual threat," Dunford said. "It was the geographic span and the perception that that activity would be synchronized in time that caused us to look at that threat differently than 40 years, by the way, of malign activity by the Iranians. Malign activity and threats to our forces were not new, but a more widespread and almost campaign-like perspective from the Iranians was what we were dealing with."
In early May, White House national security adviser John Bolton announced the U.S. was sending the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East because of an increased threat from Iran.
The Pentagon is also sending 900 additional troops to the region.
Dunford said Wednesday the moves are defensive.
"This is not intended to reinforce our offensive capability in the region. This is designed to protect our people, much like the previous force elements we sent in were designed to enhance our deterrence," he said.
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