U.S. military and intelligence officials have begun discussing a potential reduction in personnel and facilities permanently stationed in the Middle East if the Trump administration succeeds in ending the conflict with Iran, CNN reported, citing sources.
"The informal discussions could lead to another shift in Washington's military and intelligence posture in a region where the U.S. dramatically expanded its presence following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks," the report reads.
Officials are considering possible cuts even as about 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed across the Middle East alongside significant military assets, including two aircraft carriers and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers.
The U.S. military has developed several possible options for changing its force structure in the region as early as next year.
Senior Pentagon officials have also privately indicated that they want to reduce troop levels in several Gulf countries while shifting more of the defense burden to regional partners, the report said.
At the same time, the Pentagon is examining ways to strengthen defenses for forces expected to remain in the region, including potentially moving some installations underground to protect them from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
