U.S. 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 said 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.
In addition, the defense chief also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to speed up its transit to the Middle East after their earlier deployment, according to a readout issued by the Pentagon.
The USS Abraham Lincoln was already set to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is currently deployed in the Middle East, but Austin asked to “accelerate its transit,” the Pentagon stated….