The huge cost of the US deployme in the region is a source of coroversy in Congress
An Arab-language media revealed that the huge cost of the US military deployme in the West Asia region is one of the most promine issues that has created wide-ranging discussions and coroversies inside and outside the US, especially in the coury’s Congress.
According to RCO News Agency, “Al-Khalij Online” website reported about this: Washington has been paying a lot of atteion to maiaining its military influence in the Middle East region for several decades; A region that has witnessed coinuous conflicts and tensions.
According to this report, this American insistence is for economic reasons related to natural resources such as oil and gas, as well as strategic reasons under the pretext of establishing stability in the region and “fighting terrorism”.
The tense security situation in the region, especially with the coinuation of the Zionist regime’s war against Gaza and southern Lebanon, forced America to increase its military presence in the region, and Washington quickly se its destroyers to the region to support its ally.
As time passes and after a year of military deployme, questions and concerns have arisen among members of Congress and the Peagon about the financial cost of the deployme if the conflict coinues for much longer.
Today, following the developmes in the region, the pressure on the American army has increased significaly since mid-September and after the iensification of the Zionist regime’s attacks on Lebanon in the most severe wave of tension escalation in the last 20 years.
The most importa American bases in the region
For this purpose, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had previously issued orders to send additional auxiliary forces to the region, which brought the total number of troops stationed in the region to more than 40,000 soldiers, which is about 6,000 more than the usual number, and it is expected that Another aircraft carrier will be se to the area soon.
However, according to Defense News, the cost of this deployme is becoming increasingly appare, especially given the US military’s ability to aicipate future needs.
This American website reported that if the Peagon decides to send more troops to the Middle East, it will face the challenge of “more costs to preve more casualties”.
The website specializing in military affairs further wrote: The US governme is endangering the safety of sailors and ships that cost billions of dollars. The US Navy also estimates that it used $1.16 billion worth of ammunition in the Red Sea from October 7 to mid-July.
According to Politico, the Peagon initially expected to spend about $2.2 billion at the beginning of this year to maiain the operation in the Middle East for a full year, including $47.2 million for military personnel, $940.7 million. For operations and maienance, $531.4 million is for procureme, $96.1 million is for research, developme, testing and evaluation, and $549.8 million is for transportation.
Last April, Congress approved a $95 billion increase in the Peagon’s budget, in addition to allocating an additional $2.44 billion to Ceral Command (CECOM). This funding was only allocated for a period of six mohs, which can now be said to be almost over.
Cecom forces
In this regard, a number of congressional staff have announced that the budget for the upcoming period will be similar to what was approved in April; That is, it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 billion dollars.
In this regard, Defense News reported, quoting an unnamed senior congressional aide: “We have fallen io this endless quagmire and have had to allocate more resources, and because of this, we are being exhausted.”
Purpose of establishme
In this regard, Bashar Fathi Al-Akeidi, a professor of political history, told Al-Khalij Online: America’s presence in the region through established military bases is a safety valve for governmes that deal with and adhere to agreemes and treaties with Washington. Therefore, most of these governmes reject the withdrawal of America from the region.
He said that Washington puts its own ierests at the top of its goals, and when a coury or a preside loyal to it is under threat, America’s action against it primarily depends on what its ierests require, and this is what it is. It happened in the “Arab Spring” and we witnessed the end of the era of many heads of couries who had strong relations with Washington, but America did not support them.
Al-Akeidi added: American policy considers its presence in the region inevitable for several reasons, the most importa of which is the presence of “Israel” and the need to protect it and ensure the coinued flow of oil from the region to its own market and the world markets in general.
He also stated: It is believed that the US military presence in the region increases tensions, especially that Washington does not deal with regional issues impartially; Because the roots of the region’s crises go back to it, and in this way, without finding a solution to those problems, it tries to maiain its military and political presence in the region.
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