The United States is preparing a significant military presence of 13,500 troops in Kuwait to give it the flexibility to respond to sudden violent conflicts in the region as Iraq transitions to the withdrawal of American combat forces and the world anxiously eyes Iran, The Associated Press reported. According to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report obtained by the AP, the planned military presence is designed to ensure stability in a volatile region reeling from the upheaval of the Arab Spring, the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq, and mounting concern that Iran is developing a nuclear program. "Home to more than half of the world's oil reserves and over a third of its natural gas, the stability of the Persian Gulf is critical to the global economy," the report said. Presently, there are roughly 15,000 U.S. forces in Kuwait, providing the U.S. with staging hubs, training ranges and locations to offer logistical support, according to the AP.
