WASHINGTON, 19 June 2021, (TON): According to a defense official “The Pentagon is pulling missile defense systems and other military hardware and personnel from Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East, as it realigns its mission and forces to confront China and Russia.”

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin instructed the commander of US Central Command, which oversees the region, to remove the forces this summer.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cmdr said “Some of the military capabilities and platforms will be returned to the United States for much needed maintenance and repair.”

Jessica McNulty, while other assets will be redeployed to other regions.

McNulty said in a statement "this decision was made in close coordination with host nations and with a clear eye on preserving our ability to meet our security commitments. It's about maintaining some of our high demand, low density assets so they are ready for future requirements in the event of a contingency."

The Wall Street Journal was first to report the troop movements.

The US bolstered its military footprint in Saudi Arabia following a September 2019 attack on the country's oil facilities, attributed to Iran, that disrupted the global oil supply. In the wake of the attack, the US sent thousands of troops into the country, as well as two Patriot missile batteries and one Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system.

The US also sent Patriot missile batteries into Iraq to defend US forces following the killing of Qasem Soleimani and the subsequent threats from Iran.

The withdrawal of forces from the Middle East would primarily affect these and other air defense assets, the statement said, including Patriot missile batteries.

The US had deployed Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia and Iraq to counter the threat posed by Iran and its proxies in the region, including in Iraq and Yemen. Patriot missiles are effective at intercepting ballistic missiles, including the type of short-range ballistic missiles that have been fired from Yemen in recent years. But the missiles are far less effective at detecting and intercepting drones and cruise missiles flying at low altitudes.