From the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, Washington has deployed one of its largest military operations in just a few weeks since the Iraq war. Explanation. “Furious Pitch”. This is the name chosen by the United States for the military operation launched on Saturday, February 28 against Iran, in close coordination with Israel. Just hours after President Donald Trump expressed his frustration with what he considered insufficient negotiations, despite the “progress” claimed by the Omani mediator on Friday, Washington shifted from diplomatic pressure to military action.
According to the New York Times, the offensive was prepared long in advance. In recent weeks, the White House tenant mentioned the presence of an “armada” of American ships deployed near Iran. A structure built around an extraordinary naval and air concentration, supported by a tight network of advanced bases surrounding the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Maritime forces
Washington has deployed more than a dozen combat ships in the region. Two carrier groups structure the whole: one operates in the Sea of Oman; the other in the eastern Mediterranean, after a logistical stop in Souda Bay, before cruising several hundred kilometers west of Haifa, as the New York Times specifies.
On board, several thousand sailors and squadrons capable of conducting deep strikes. The simultaneous presence of two aircraft carriers in this area remains extremely rare. Nearly 10,000 military personnel are directly aboard these naval forces, in addition to nine destroyers and several littoral combat ships armed with cruise missiles and anti-aircraft defense systems.
Air forces
Aviation is the other pillar of the American maneuver. According to data from the Flightradar24 aviation monitoring site, dozens of additional aircraft have been sent to the Middle East. US forces now have F-22 stealth fighters, F-15, F-35, and F-16 fighters, E-3 Sentry radar surveillance planes, and a fleet of KC-135 tanker aircraft on site. Several B-2 stealth bombers with long-range capabilities have also been placed on high alert.
According to the Military Times, twelve F-22s have also been deployed to an Israeli base to consolidate American deterrence posture. The Pentagon has simultaneously reinforced the protection of its troops by deploying Patriot and THAAD anti-missile systems in the face of the risk of Iranian ballistic strikes.
An arc of bases surrounding Iran
This military power is based on some decisive anchor points. In Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, Washington controls a strategic maritime crossroads covering the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and part of the Indian Ocean, as reported by The Independent.
In Qatar, the Al Udeid Air Base is the forward headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Approximately 10,000 military personnel are stationed there. In Jordan, the Muwaffaq al-Salti base near Amman has become a major air hub: over sixty attack aircraft were deployed between mid-January and mid-February, in addition to electronic warfare aircraft and several MQ-9 Reaper drones, according to satellite imagery.
In the United Arab Emirates, the Al Dhafra base south of Abu Dhabi remains a major center for American air projection, while the port of Dubai, especially Jebel Ali, remains the main stop for the US Navy in the region. In Iraq, US forces maintain bases in Ain al-Assad and Erbil, platforms for training, intelligence, and logistical coordination.
