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The United States is planning to significantly increase its military presence in Kuwait with 13,500 troops, according to a congressional report. According to New York Post, the U.S. plans such a move to give it flexibility to respond to sudden conflicts in the region as Iraq adjusts to the withdrawal of American combat forces, the report said. The study by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee examined that the U.S. relationship with the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, against a fast-moving backdrop. According to the report, there are currently about 15,000 U.S. forces in Kuwait at Camp Arifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Buehring, giving the United States hubs, training ranges and locations to provide logistical support. Several members of Congress, such as Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., had pressed for a residual U.S. force to remain in Iraq, but the two countries failed to agree on whether American troops should be granted legal immunity. Instead, officials talked of positioning a strong U.S. force just across the border in Kuwait. The strategy preserves 'lily pad' basing that allows the military to move quickly from one location to the next. As it recalibrates its national security strategy, the United States is drawing down forces in Europe while focusing on other regions, such as the Middle East and Asia. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that he envisions about 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East region after the withdrawal from Iraq.

US to significantly increase military presence in Kuwait following Iraq pull out