The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East, strengthening the US military presence amid soaring regional tensions. The announcement represents a shift in the Pentagon's strategy, which had initially deployed the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group into the region with a plan to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. The US military announced the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its accompanying destroyers to the Middle East last Wednesday after Austin ordered to speed up the transfer of this naval strike group to the region. In an earlier statement, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) explained that the "USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), equipped with F-35C and F/A-18 Block III fighters, entered the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility." In the same context, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby explained earlier that Washington is moving an aircraft carrier to the Middle East for what he called purely defensive reasons and that the overall goal is to reduce tension in the region. Source: Qatar News Agency