In a rare move, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told the world where a U.S. submarine was positioned in the Middle East. It was an unusual — and intentional — decision, a Pentagon official tells NOTUS.
“Secretary Austin obviously wanted to send a message by making this announcement,” the Pentagon defense official said, calling it a “significant force projection” — the “deployment of a pretty serious weapons capability to the region as a deterrent to deescalate the situation,” the official said.
The unexpected announcement Sunday came in a statement released after Austin’s call with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. Austin “ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the Central Command region” (which includes Iran), a sign of escalating tensions in the region in the aftermath of strikes against Hamas and Hezbollah leadership in Iran and Lebanon. Israel killed a top Hezbollah leader in Lebanon and is widely believed to have assassinated a Hamas leader in Tehran, though it has not admitted to the attack.