Pentagon:No decision made on Gulf military presence

The Pentagon said on Monday that no decisions have been made on how many U.S. troops will remain in the Persian Gulf region, responding to a report that the United States will bolster its military presence there after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year. "We're still working through the decision process," said Navy Capt. John Kirby, deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations. "There's been no final decision made on any additional force presence anywhere." The New York Times reported on Sunday that the United States was considering deploying new combat forces in Kuwait in order to respond to a possible collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran. "Whatever decisions are made about force posture moving forward will be based upon our security commitments we have made and will continue to honor in that region," Kirby said. The remarks came as the U.S. military presence in the Gulf is getting increasingly debated after President Barack Obama's announcement on Oct. 21 to withdraw remaining U.S. soldiers from Iraq by the end of this year. Obama's decision has stirred up worries among U.S. military and government officials, as well as several countries in the Gulf region, that the pullout could lead to instability. "One thing's for sure, we're going to maintain a presence in the Gulf region," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said on Monday. "We have enduring commitments in that part of the world, and those commitments remain a priority." He stressed that formal plans have not been submitted to the president or Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.