WASHINGTON — Two Norfolk-based warships have arrived in the Red Sea, amid rising tensions with Iran.
U.S. Central Command confirms that more than 3,000 sailors and Marines assigned to the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in the Middle East on Sunday. The group includes the amphibious Assault Ship USS Bataan and the Dock Landing Ship USS Carter Hall.
In late July, the Defense Department announced it would send additional U.S. military assets to the region to "deter Iranian destabilizing activities in the region."
At the Pentagon on Tuesday, Defense Department Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said she had no information to share about news reports concerning the possibility of U.S. military personnel boarding commercial ships in the region to provide protection.
But she spoke in general terms about the U.S. buildup in the Fifth Fleet Aera of Operations.
"We've continued to see Iran or the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) disrupting the free flow of commerce within the region, which is why the Secretary [of Defense Lloyd Austin] made the decision that he did to deploy capabilities and more forces into the region," she said.
In the past two years, Iran has attacked, seized, or attempted seizure of nearly 20 internationally flagged merchant vessels.
The Bataan team departed from Hampton Roads on July 10.