I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

“What we had in the past, we had forces to provide security as we rotated units in and out of theater….Now it’s a platform, a final destination, so to speak, for contingency forces that can be used in the [Central Command] theater.”-unnamed U.S. military official quoted in the ArmyTimes

The ArmyTimes reporting that 15,000 U.S. troops are being added to those already based in Kuwait. The combat troops are coming from active Army units as well as the Minnesota and Maryland National Guards, with more to come from New York National Guard.

“The initial purpose for them was to provide security as we were pulling back units in Iraq.  Now….They do provide a capable force that could be used elsewhere if necessary.”-unnamed U.S. military official quoted in the ArmyTimes

The ArmyTimes is calling the deployment of troops to Kuwait a “response force”.

Also reported in the ArmyTimes is the fact that the New York National Guard has suddenly been diverted from its mission in Afghanistan to Kuwait.  The New York National Guard unit includes about 1,800 soldiers from New York and 300 from South Carolina.  They are scheduled to arrive in Kuwait in late February.