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Defense Secretary Pete Hegses allowed voluntary departures for US military dependents from locations in the Middle East. This is a big move as tensions across the region skyrocket.
The US Secretary of Defense told Fox News Wednesday: “The safety and security of service members and their families is our number one priority, and the US Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the development of tensions in the Middle East.
The approval will affect US bases across Centcom responsible territories, including major flashpoints in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has not cited any specific threats, but movements will arise as Iran-backed militias increase their activity and regional instability increases.
Here are the number of US service members who are on vacation away from their homes deployed overseas:
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses has approved the voluntary departure of US military dependents from across the Middle East. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
“Centcom is working closely with our State Department counterparts and local allies and partners to remain constantly ready to support any mission around the world,” the official added.
US military targets Yemen’s Houthi weapons storage facility over the weekend: Centcom
Voluntary departures are not rare, but usually kick in when the security environment deteriorates. US doctrines such as JP 3‑68 explicitly stipulate the voluntary departure of dependents sponsored by the Command at government costs whenever the threat rises.
“The voluntary departure of command-backed military dependents, essential DOD private employees and their families, important DOD private employees, and staff and teachers of DOD dependents will be encouraged at government costs to announced safe shelters and will return at government costs,” reads JP 3-68.
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The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for additional comments from Fox News Digital.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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