Asked to comment on media reports about the U.S. withdrawing some military assets from the Middle East, a Pentagon spokesperson underscored that “we have a very robust presence in the Middle East region, a lot of capabilities there, tens of thousands of personnel, as well as systems and capabilities across the region at various facilities and bases, and the Secretary believes it’s important that that presence and those capabilities remain robust”, adding: “We have to look at the ability to sustain those capabilities and systems in whatever region they’re deployed. And it's not uncommon for us to move resources around”.