The Pentagon is struggling to find ways to pay for the cost of sending troops to the Middle East?

An F/A-18E fighter jet takes off from the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in the Eastern Mediterranean on October 12.

Along with many other federal agencies, the Pentagon is operating on a short-term budget recently approved by US President Joe Biden to avert the risk of a government shutdown.

The interim budget passed but did not include aid to Israel or Ukraine as requested by President Biden. Not stopping there, the defense budget was also limited to the same level as last year.

Politico on December 28 quoted Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood as revealing that because no one could foresee the prospect of having to increase troops in the Middle East following the Hamas-Israel conflict, the US military was forced to compensate by cutting funding for ongoing campaigns and reducing costs related to maintenance.

Two aircraft carrier strike groups, the Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford, in the Mediterranean on November 3.

That means budget cuts for exercises and deployments elsewhere.

Since the Middle East crisis began, the US has deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups, the Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gerald R. Ford, to the Mediterranean, as well as increased missile and air defense systems, more than 1,000 troops, and Ohio-class nuclear submarines to the region.

The troop build-up comes as the US declares its support for Israel in the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as well as to prevent the risk of escalation and spread of tensions.

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