Arriving In The Middle East To Strengthen US Military, This Is The Armed Forces To USS Bataan Personnel And USS Carter Hall

USS Bataan (LHD-50) carrying 26th Marine Expeditionary Units arrived at the Suez Canal. (Source: US Naval Forces Central Command/Cpl. Nayelly Nieves-Nieves)

JAKARTA - More than 3,000 US seafarers and Marines from the Bataan Ready Amphibious Group (ARG) and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) transported by two US warships arrived in the Middle East, as part of a deployment previously announced by the Department of Defense.

The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) and the landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) entered the Red Sea after transiting from the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal, citing the US Naval Forces Central Command website, Tuesday, August 8.

The Bataan ARG, which departed from Norfolk, Virginia on July 10, was equipped with an Amphibious Squadron 8, Fleet 8 Surgeon Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Ship Unit 4, Coast 2 Master Unit and 26th MEU.

The 26th MEU, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is capable of carrying out amphibious missions, crisis responses, and limited contingency operations to enable the introduction of advanced troops and special operations.

Citing The National News from the Al-Sharq News Agency, spokesman for the US Fifth Fleet Tim Hawkins said, "The security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is a priority for the United States", and accuses Tehran of "repeatedly threatening the security of navigation for the last two years".

This deployment describes the Pentagon as a "response to Iran's recent efforts to threaten trade-free flow in the region".

This spring, Iran seized two oil tankers in the Gulf and seized the Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet, which carries Kuwaiti crude oil to US energy company Chevron Corp.

US President Joe Biden's administration announced in May that it is working to improve Washington's defense posture in the Gulf, including increasing "coordinates and interoperability of the International Maritime Security construction and awareness of European Maritimes in the Strait of Hormuz," said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.