Pentagon sending a ‘few thousand’ personnel to Middle East day after Biden said he wouldn’t add combat troops

The Pentagon announced on Monday that it is sending a "few thousand" U.S. personnel to the Middle East to support Air Force squadrons a day after President Biden vowed not to send combat troops to the region.

Speaking at a press gaggle with reporters on Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the U.S. was sending a "few thousand" more troops to the Middle East to bolster security and to defend Israel, if needed.

Biden gave a firm "no" when asked Sunday if he planned to deploy additional combat troops to the Middle East.

This increased presence is to include multiple warplane squadrons, complimenting the F-15s, F-16s, A-10s and F-22s already stationed in the region.

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The planes were initially supposed to rotate in and replace the squadrons stationed there. Instead, both the current and new squadrons are to remain in place to double the available airpower because of increased tensions in the region and concern that Iran might respond to Israel's killing of Hezbollah's leader last week in Lebanon.

Singh said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has "increased the readiness of additional U.S. forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies. And DOD (Department of Defense) maintains robust and integrated air-defense capabilities across the Middle East, ensuring the protection of U.S. forces operating in the region."

The few thousand additional personnel are not combat troops but rather maintenance crews and those who can help with the air defense mission and refueling. The additional forces would raise the total number of U.S. personnel in the region to as many as 43,000.

The Pentagon’s announcement follows word