The United States has begun beefing up its approach to defending its Persian Gulf allies against potential Iranian missile strikes, officials say. The defenses are being stepped up in advance of possible increased sanctions against Iran.

The Obama administration has quietly increased the capability of land-based Patriot defensive missiles in several Gulf Arab nations, and one military official said the Navy is increasing the presence of ships capable of knocking out hostile missiles in flight.

The officials discussed aspects of the defensive strategy Saturday on condition of anonymity because some elements are classified.

The moves, part of a broader adjustment in the U.S. approach to missile defense, including in Europe and Asia have been in the works for months. Details have not been publicly announced, in part because of diplomatic sensitivities in Gulf countries which worry about Iranian military capabilities but are cautious about acknowledging U.S. protection.

The White House will send a review of ballistic missile strategy to Congress on Monday that frames the larger shifts. Attention to defense of the Persian Gulf region, a focus on diffuse networks of sensors and weapons and cooperation with Russia are major elements of the study, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Russia opposed Bush administration plans for a land-based missile defense site in Eastern Europe, and President Barack Obama‘s decision to walk away from that plan last year was partly in pursuit of new capabilities that might hold greater promise and partly in deference to Russia.

One military official said the adjustments in the Gulf should be seen as prudent defensive measures designed to deter Iran from taking aggressive action in the region, more than as a signal that Washington expects Iran to retaliate for any additional sanctions.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton consulted with numerous allies during a visit to London this week. She told reporters that the evident failure of U.S. offers to engage Iran in negotiations over its nuclear program means the U.S. will now press for additional sanctions against the Iranian government.

Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. Central Command chief who is responsible for U.S. military operations across the Middle East, mentioned in several recent public speeches one element of the defensive strategy in the Gulf: upgrading Patriot missile systems, which originally were deployed in the region to shoot down aircraft but now can hit missiles in flight.

In remarks at Georgetown Law School on Jan. 21, Petraeus said the U.S. now has eight Patriot missile batteries stationed in the Gulf region — two each in four countries. He did not name the countries, but Kuwait has long been known to have Patriots on its territory.

A military official said Saturday that the three other countries are the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain — which also hosts the U.S. Navy‘s 5th Fleet headquarters — and Qatar, home to a modernized U.S. air operations center that has played a key role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  [Associated Press]

Even though the Iranians probably know exactly where our PATRIOT batteries are in these four countries, it still concerns me that we have people in the US military leaking classified information to the media.

Soldiers will soon be on their way to Poland to provide training for the U.S. Army Patriot Missile, according to U.S. Army Europe.

A specific unit has not been designated for the mission but about 100 soldiers are expected to deploy during the early part of 2010, said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a USAREUR spokeswoman.

As part of an agreement between the two countries, soldiers will rotate to Poland on a regular basis but the length of those rotations is still being planned, according to Kageleiry.

“U.S. Army Europe will help the Polish Armed Forces develop their air and missile defense capabilities,” she said.

“Considering the cooperative training we already do with the Polish Armed Forces, this Patriot training program is just another extension of that effort.”

Though USAREUR didn’t name the unit, the likely candidate to conduct the mission is the Army’s only remaining Europe-based Patriot unit, the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery based at Kaiserslautern.

The small number of troops has been described by critics as merely a diplomatic gesture to Poland following President Barack Obama’s decision to move away from a larger missile defense plan that was being pursued by the Bush administration.  [Stars & Stripes]

Following are the engineering support contract listings, along with other contracts and key events related to the Patriot missile. New material is in green type to make it more visible.

The latest additions to our contracts and events coverage? Improved layout for the engineering services contracts, and another FY 2009 services award…

• The Patriot Missile Family
• Patriot Engineering Services Contracts, FY 2004 – Present [updated]
• The USA’s Patriot Programs
• Other Patriot-Related Contracts & Events, FY 2006 – Present
• Additional Readings

You can read more here.

In a move bound to anger China, the United States intends to sell $6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan, the State Department said Friday.

State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said Congress — whose approval is needed for the deal to go through — was notified Friday afternoon. He indicated the administration expects congressional approval quickly.

The package includes a variety of U.S.-made weapons systems, including Patriot III anti-missile missiles, Apache attack helicopters, Harpoon missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The deal had been in the works for a few months, Wood said, and the decision is “consistent with U.S. policy of providing arms for defense of Taiwan and consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.”

“This arms deal is a key factor in bringing security and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he added. The deal also gives Taiwan upgrades for Taiwan’s E-2T aircraft and spare parts for its air force.  [CNN]

It has been US policy for quite some time to keep an equal military balance of power between Taiwan and China in order to prevent either side from initiating a conflict.  The sale of the PAC-3 missiles I would assume to be in response to the fact China has advanced their missile capabilities to be able to target satellites in space much less Taiwan.