Headquarters of the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon is pulling missile defense systems and other military hardware and personnel from Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East. The change reflects a broad shift within the Defense Department to focus its efforts on countering China and Russia as the threats of the future, moving away from the wars of the past in the Middle East.

Austin is nearing the completion of a global review of US forces. Underpinning the review is the assessment that China is the “pacing challenge” to the United States military.

The Pentagon’s China Task Force recently completed its work and submitted its recommendations, which will influence US strategy moving forward, including the global posture review.

“These initiatives, some of which will remain classified, are designed to focus departmental processes and procedures and better help department leaders contribute to whole of government efforts to address the challenge of China,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said last week at a press briefing.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin instructed the commander of US Central Command, which oversees the region, to remove the forces this summer. Some of the military capabilities and platforms will be returned to the United States for much-needed maintenance and repair, said Pentagon spokeswoman Cmdr Jessica McNulty, while other assets will be redeployed to other regions.

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 US is set to complete the withdrawal of all forces from Afghanistan before the September 11 deadline. Less than 1,500 troops remain in the country. Under the Trump administration, the number of US troops in Iraq was reduced to 2,500.