Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrived in the US Central Command's area of operations. The Lincoln group joins the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in the region, she said in a press briefing on Thursday. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ordered the Lincoln to accelerate its deployment to Central Command earlier this month, Singh noted. The secretary ordered the plus-up of US forces in the region "as part of broad adjustments to the US military posture" to ensure US force protection, increase support for the defense of Israel and ensure the United States is prepared to respond to a wide range of contingencies. An Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron has already arrived in the region, and the USS Georgia - a cruise missile submarine - is operating nearby. The deployment of US forces to the region may have gotten into the "headspace" of Iranian officials who have threatened strikes on Israel, she went on. Singh affirmed t hat the forces are well positioned to counter any attack from Iran or Iranian-backed proxies. "We remain focused on efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region, and while also remaining focused on securing a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal, to bring all of the hostages home and to end the war in Gaza," Singh added. Source: Kuwait News Agency