In what can be described as one the best manifestations of US imperial overstretch, the Wall Street Journal reports that the US is scurrying to deploy Patriot air defense systems to protect its occupation bases in the Middle East amidst a strain on US military inventories. 

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon has decided to drop its plan of displaying the $1 billion Patriot missile defense system at the Dubai Airshow arms fair this week.

Instead of displaying it for enthusiasts for recreational purposes, the US will be deploying it for immediate use to protect its occupation bases in Iraq and Syria from attacks by resistance groups, which have grown increasingly frequent since last month in retaliation to the US-supported Israeli aggression against Gaza. 

Citing people familiar with the details of Patriot system deployments in the region, the report notes that the number of Patriot batteries has doubled since the onset of the war in Gaza to reach 12 batteries.

Senior US military have recurrently voiced concerns that they lacked enough Patriot missile defense systems to meet the requirements of attending to their myriad of security challenges ranging from Ukraine to China, the WSJ reports. 

Based on the details in army recruitment posters for Patriot technicians, the batteries will be deployed in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. 

Furthermore, the report notes that US involvement in the Ukraine war and expanded deployments have left less than half of the US military inventory available to protect US forces in the rest of the world. 

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Two weeks ago, Jordan requested Patriot air defense missiles from the United States to enhance its security, Jordanian Armed Forces military media director Brigadier General Mustafa Al-Hayari said. 

In an interview with a state-owned TV channel, Al-Hayari mentioned the need for a system to counter unmanned aerial threats, which he described as a growing concern for the country due to their use in drug smuggling.

"We have asked the American side to bolster our air defense system with Patriot missiles," he said. "This is an expensive system that cannot be effectively deployed using local resources alone, so we require a strategic partner."

Al-Hayari highlighted what he claimed to be continuous threats, including ballistic missiles surrounding Jordan from the north, east, and west, emphasizing that the Patriot was the most effective weapon against such threats.

"The Patriot is a defensive weapon used to protect Jordanian territory. If a threat to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan arises, we will defend it using this weapon and means," he explained

He pointed out the strong relationships with various Jordanian allies, stating that they would not hesitate to leverage these relationships when needed.

Al-Hayari emphasized that it was a strategic decision for "the Hashemite Kingdom [...] to ally with a great power, the United States, in a 72-year-old alliance amid a turbulent region surrounding Jordan."