the Middle East

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Thousands of U.S. military personnel have been shifted around the globe or told to prepare for deployment, Axios' Noah Bressner reports.

• Why it matters: The Pentagon has scrambled to dispatch significant military might to the Middle East since the terrorist attack on Israel two weeks ago.

An armada of American ships and dozens of aircraft are quickly amassing around Israel, including:

• Two aircraft carrier groups — the USS Gerald Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower — with roughly 7,500 personnel each.
• Two amphibious Navy ships, which are equipped with thousands of Marines.
• F-35, F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter jets to supplement aircraft already in the area.

Another ship, the USS Carney, intercepted three missiles over the Red Sea that were "potentially" aimed at targets in Israel, the Pentagon said Thursday.

• U.S. special operations forces are assisting Israel with planning and intelligence support.
• 2,000 troops were ordered to prepare to deploy to the Middle East. They're unlikely to serve in combat roles.

Go deeper: Pentagon statement about deployments ...

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5. ? Axios explains: U.S. footprint in Middle East

Data: Axios research. Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios With the Israel-Hamas war escalating, the U.S. risks becoming involved in a conflict that could entangle some of the 40,000+ U.S. military personnel based across the region. Keep reading.