‘United States Looking At All Possibilities’ on Iran

Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow for American strategy at JINSA, said the reported troop numbers point to an evolving but still incomplete shift in U.S. posture, falling short of a full commitment by either side to a “semi-permanent U.S. presence” in Israel.

“The recent, sudden expansion of U.S. presence reflected ready-made opportunities in Israel: certain bases like Ovda are built to U.S. specifications, Israel maintains high readiness at its bases, and it already had some surge capacity for the rapid influx of American aircraft, personnel, and materiel for [Operation] Epic Fury,” he said.

“But a more permanent and shared basing posture entails tough political decisions from both sides to fund it. Especially after its recent losses, the United States is trying to lessen its dependence on permanent bases in the Gulf, in favor of rotating forces through multiple countries, like Israel, that are farther from Iran.”

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