RT.com
24 Mar 2023, 04:14 GMT+10
The US Defense Department will move newer attack aircraft to Europe and the Pacific, the newspaper reports
The US will send decades-old A-10 attack planes to the Middle East, replacing more advanced aircraft currently stationed in the region, which it instead intends to deploy in Europe and the Pacific, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The redeployment, which is expected in April, will mean that the US will reserve more sophisticated aircraft to counter perceived threats from Russia and China. The older A-10 planes are considered by the Pentagon as sufficient to protect US interests in the Middle East.
"The imperative is to get the most suitable aircraft to the Pacific for the higher threat challenges," the WSJ quoted retired US Air Force major general Larry Stutzriem as saying. The US and some of its allies have expressed concern at possible Chinese military expansionism in the Pacific region.
Washington views China as its "pacing threat," per National Defense Review documents released by the Pentagon last year - effectively meaning that the US sees the Asian nation as a rival to its "interests and values," according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Russia was described in the same document as an "acute threat." US and Russian jet fighter aircraft regularly fly over Syria - with the Wall Street Journal citing US officials calling the Russian units "increasingly aggressive."
The redeployment scheme is part of a larger US plan to retain a small but significant presence of naval and ground forces in the Middle East, despite its military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. American troops have maintained links with some Iraqi and Syrian partners in the region as it fends off challenges from Islamic State militants - killing around 700 last year alone, according to US military data.
A-10 attack planes, which are some 40 years old, are not considered to be sufficient to deal with China's advanced military technology, but retain utility against ground forces or militia groups in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Europe Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Europe Sun.
More InformationWASHINGTON DC - In a major blow to U.S. President Joe Biden, less that a year out from the November ...
TOKYO, Japan: This week, the U.S. Air Force said that divers have discovered the wreckage and the remains of five ...
VANDENBERG, California: South Korea successfully launched its inaugural military spy satellite, following North Korea's recent claim of deploying its own ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: The death toll from the eruption of Indonesia's Marapi volcano surged to 22 as rescuers discovered additional climbers ...
In September, Tamir Pardo, who headed the Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2011 to ...
HONOLULU, Hawaii: U.S. Navy officials say that it would cost some $1.5 million to salvage a P-8A jet plane that ...
NEW YORK: This week, ratings agency Moody's warned that it could downgrade China's credit rating, citing costs to bail out ...
NEW YORK, New York - AI set the scene for solid gains in technology shares on Thursday. Demand for Alphabet ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: To help reduce car collisions with wildlife and help animals safely cross roadways, the U.S. Transportation Department has ...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: To address power shortages at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, last week, the European Commission announced plans to ...
BEIJING, China: Falling hog prices, mounting losses and rising debt are putting pressure on the biggest pig breeders in China, ...
NEW YORK, New York - A decline in labor costs as measured by ADP failed to boost U.S. Markets Wednesday."ADP's ...