Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is “keeping a close eye” on the U.S. military posture in the Middle East. “It’s about making sure that we have a robust enough deterrent capability in the Middle East,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters yesterday. “On a day-to-day basis, it’s very much on his mind to make sure that we have both the fixed and the rotational capabilities in the region to deal with the threats that are posed by Iran,” Kirby said. Kirby further stated that Austin is “comfortable” with the current U.S. military presence in the Middle East and that the defense secretary is in “constant communication” on the matter with Centcom chief Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie. In other words, there will be no more drawdowns from the region, particularly Syria, from which Donald Trump tried repeatedly to pull out U.S. troops. Kirby confirmed earlier in the week that there are about 900 U.S. troops in northeastern Syria.