Four KC-135R/T “Stratotanker” Aerial-Refueling Tankers, BLUE61/62/71/72, departed this morning from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and are currently heading westward across the Mediterranean, briefly orbiting south of Crete, likely supporting the return of twelve F-15E Strike Eagles assigned to the 391st Fighter Squadron, out of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, back to the United States from Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

The F-15E Strike Eagles will be replaced at Muwaffaq Salti by two flights of six F-35A Lightning lls with the “The Green Mountain Boys” of the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing, that over the last week have pre-staged at RAF Lakenheath in England and Naval Station Rota in Spain.

President Donald J. Trump told Axios in an interview Tuesday that he's considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to prepare for military action against Iran if ongoing negotiations fail, with Trump telling Barack Ravid, “We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going.”

A U.S. official confirmed to Axios that there had been discussions about sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region, though officials could not say which carrier that would be and how long it could take to reach the U.S. Central Command’s Area-of-Responsibility.

“Last time they didn't believe I would do it,” President Trump said during the interview, alluding to his decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities last June. “They overplayed their hand,” but this time the talks are “very different,” claiming that “We can make a great deal with Iran.”

Besides the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) already in the Arabian Sea, only one other carrier is deployed right now and could immediately head to the region, that being the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) currently operating in the Caribbean. However, for a number of reasons, one being that the carrier has already been deployed for going on eight months as well as several problems recently aboard the Ford, she will not be going to the Middle East.

The only carrier that could deploy anytime soon to the Middle East would be the USS George H.W. Bush, who is currently completing her Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) off the coast of Virginia for a scheduled deployment later this year, with the exercise likely taking roughly two more weeks and then at least two weeks to reach the U.S. Central Command’s Area-of-Responsibility near Iran. The USS George Washington (CVN-73) is available to deploy from Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Japan, however this would leave the Indo-Pacific without an aircraft carrier to counter China.

U.S. Forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest airbase in the Middle East, were seen loading up to ten launchers for a MIM-104 “Patriot” Surface-to-Air Missile Battery onto M983 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) in early February, according to satellite imagery seen by Reuters. Attaching the interceptor launchers to trucks gives them much greater mobility, meaning they can be moved to an alternative site or repositioned with greater speed in case of a ballistic missile attack by Iran.

The United States will deploy an additional 200 Servicemembers to Nigeria in the coming weeks to assist training the country’s military to fight ISIS, Boko Haram, and other Islamist terror groups, roughly two months after President Donald J. Trump ordered missile strikes against terrorist sites in Northern Nigeria on Christmas Day, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, the Spokesman for Nigeria’s Armed Forces, told the Journal that American troops will not be involved in direct combat or operations in the country, and that the additional assistance was requested by Nigeria, likely during a recent visit by Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

Satellite imagery captured late last month by the BBC via Planet Labs showed additional air-defense systems, likely MIM-104 “Patriot” Surface-to-Air Missile Launchers, being erected at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) Wednesday morning entirely closing the airspace over the Western Texas city of El Paso for the next ten days, citing “special security reasons,” while classifying a large area over both El Paso and the neighboring community of Santa Teresa, New Mexico as “national defense airspace” under the control of the Defense Department. All flights in and out of El Paso International Airport and nearby regional airports have been canceled or grounded, with even medical evacuation flights being restricted, as local authorities and military officials state that they have received no information regarding the NOTAM. Such an airspace closure over a major city in the United States is unprecedented, with the last time such a restriction like this was issued occurring after September 11, 2001.

Under the NOTAM issued this morning covering El Paso, “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MAY USE DEADLY FORCE AGAINST THE AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT, IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT POSES AN IMMINENT SECURITY THREAT.”

Three KC-135R/T “Stratotanker” Aerial-Refueling Tankers have departed from RAF Mildenhall heading south across Europe, supporting a flight of six F-35A Lightning lls with the “The Green Mountain Boys” of the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing flying from RAF Lakenheath in England to their final destination of Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

In a statement to Defender Media, Southwest Airlines has acknowledged today’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over El Paso, stating:

“At the direction of the FAA, Southwest has paused all operations to and from El Paso International Airport. We have notified affected Customers and will share additional information as it becomes available. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.”

Today’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the next ten days over El Paso is reportedly due to counter-drone operations by the U.S. Armed Forces targeting the cartels in Mexico, utilizing experimental technologies from Biggs Army Airfield at Fort Bliss, with the Defense Department telling the FAA that they could not assure “civilian flight safety” over El Paso and parts of New Mexico, sources briefed on the situation have told CNN.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that this morning’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) and Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) over El Paso in Western Texas has been lifted, effective immediately, stating that there is “no threat to commercial aviation” and that all arriving and departing flights will resume as normal at El Paso International Airport.

Several drones operated by the cartels in Mexico breached American Airspace overnight near El Paso, with electronic-warfare measures being utilized by the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss to down the drones, resulting in this morning’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace. The Dept. of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,” an official with the White House told NewsNation.

Airline officials tell Reuters that this morning’s airspace closure over El Paso in Texas stemmed from coordination issues between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Pentagon over the Pentagon’s use of counter-drone technology to address Mexican drug cartels and safety concerns by the FAA.

Roughly a week after a similar mission over the Baltic Sea and off the coast of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, JAKE27, a WC-135R “Constant Phoenix” Airborne Radiological-Detection Aircraft, tasked with the collection of samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear incidents, explosions, and/or weapons, flew a collection mission today over the Eastern Mediterranean.