US Repositions Troops in the Mediterranean
SUBSCRIPTION SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013 SHAWWAL 18, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Fort Hood shooter Fear and grief Manning creates Arsenal recovers convicted, faces as Lebanon New challenges from poor start, death penalty7 buries its7 dead for US military8 beat20 Fulham 3-1 US repositions troops Max 45º Min 28º in the Mediterranean High Tide 02:18 & 14:44 Obama reviews Syria options; UN pushes for probe Low Tide 08:44 & 21:03 40 PAGES NO: 15908 150 FILS WASHINGTON: The United States is repositioning naval forces in the Mediterranean to give President Barack Obama the option for an armed strike on Syria, although officials cautioned that Obama had made no decision on military action. A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US Navy would expand its presence in the Mediterranean to four destroyers from three. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, en route to Asia, said Obama had asked the Pentagon for options on Syria, where an apparent chemical weapons attack that killed as many as 1,000 civilians has upped pressure on Washington to respond. “The Defense Department has responsibility to provide the president with options for all contingencies,” Hagel said. “And that requires posi- tioning our forces, positioning our assets, to be able to carry out different options - whatever options the presi- dent might choose.” He did not elaborate. The defense official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the USS Mahan, a destroyer armed with cruise missiles, had finished its deployment and was due to head back to its home base in Norfolk, Virginia.
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