[The Largest U.S. Air Force Deployment in the Middle East Since 2003] BlockBeats news, February 19, according to The Times of Israel, the scale of the U.S. air force deployment in the Middle East is the largest since the Iraq War in 2003. The beginning of the eight-year-long Iraq War was marked by the so-called 'shock and awe' bombing campaign. Currently, the U.S. is amassing forces in the region as President Trump is considering launching strikes against Iran. The U.S. has dispatched dozens of aircraft and multiple aircraft carriers to the area. These fighter jets include F-16s, F-22s, and F-35s. The U.S. military buildup enables the U.S. to conduct military operations that could last longer than the strikes carried out during the Iran conflict last June, when B-2 bombers were used to target Iranian nuclear facilities.