U.S. Surges Largest Mideast Airpower Since ’03 as Iran Strike Could Come ...

[SVPete]

U.S. Surges Largest Mideast Airpower Since ’03 as Iran Strike Could Come ‘Within Days’ — Israel on Highest Alert

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/02/19/u-s-surges-largest-mideast-airpower-since-03-as-iran-strike-could-come-within-days-israel-on-highest-alert/

The United States has assembled the largest concentration of airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion — deploying two aircraft carriers, advanced stealth fighters, refueling tankers, and layered missile defenses into theater — as multiple U.S. and Israeli reports warn President Donald Trump could authorize strikes on Iran “as soon as Saturday,” with talks described by American officials as “very far apart” and even a “near nothing-burger.”

Senior U.S. officials told CBS News that the military is prepared to launch strikes this weekend if ordered, with one official describing planning conversations as “fluid” but indicating forces are in place.
...
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night that Washington is assembling “the greatest amount of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq,” including additional F-35 and F-22 stealth fighters, F-15s and F-16s, airborne command-and-control aircraft, and dozens of refueling tankers essential for a sustained campaign.

A second carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford is moving toward the Mediterranean to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is already operating in the broader region. Destroyers capable of intercepting ballistic missiles are accompanying both groups.
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The New York Times noted that Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems — previously thin in theater — have now been reinforced to protect the roughly 30,000–40,000 U.S. troops stationed across the region.

It looks like the build-up is air and sea assets, but not infantry, armor, or airborne personnel, very different from Iraq and Afghanistan. This suggests the goals would be to crush Iranian military and security capabilities rather than actual invasion.

Iran has been waging asymmetric war on the US since 1979, so SCROOM!

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

I'd surge ground forces into the AO just to keep them guessing and having to split resources to guard against the possibility.

[FlippyDoo]

Iran has been waging asymmetric war on the US since 1979, so SCROOM!

I'm a big fan of Reagan, but this attack should have happened about 46 years ago.

[SVPete]

Geopolitical context matters. Reagan had to deal with the USSR, which was doing its thing next door to Iran in Afghanistan (IOW, significant Soviet resources were near by). He had to consider whether and how the Soviets might respond. Reagan did play Iran and Iraq against each other in their neighborhood war.

Fast-forward to GHWB, the perilous unravelling of the USSR was happening early in his administration, and then Saddam invaded Kuwait.

Clinton was the first POTUS who had minimal geopolitical complications, but WJC was kind of lazy.

For better or for worse, GWB was dealing with the aftermath of 9/11 and a seemingly renascent Saddam (it appears that Saddam fooled US and other countries' intel agencies into thinking he was acquiring more WMD than he actually had, hoping to intimidate western countries). That might seem to have been the time to smack Iran, but the US was already spread a bit thin, and trying that was probably politically untenable (the "unity" immediately after 9/11 was a MSM-aided Dem sham).

Obama was so bleeping lazy that Iraq was almost lost to ISIS, and the loss of Afghanistan began with Obamian negligence. Obama could have whacked Iran, but arrogantly thought he could buy peace with pallets of cash.

Trump had a Congress who would bemoan oncologist unemployment if Trump cured cancer, and, of course there was Russia, Russia, Russia. Congress would have stopped any effort to whack Iran.

LIEden returned to trying to buy peace with cash, and had populated his MalAdministration with Israel-haters. LIEden could have whacked Iran but there was no way he would have thought of it.

So, yeah, 46 years late, but realistically only Clinton, Obama, and Biden had a reasonable geopolitical and domestic opportunity to hit Iran.