Collapse of Kurdish autonomy in Syria: limited U.S. concessions bring Turkey into a tactical alignment against Iran

On January 26, 2026, the US Air Forces Central (AFCENT), which are under the command of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), announced the conduct of military exercises aimed at improving the US ability to deploy and disperse its air forces, as well as to support combat aviation operations in the Middle East.

The start of the AFCENT exercises coincided with the deployment of US troops in the waters around Iran. On the day of the announcement of the start of the Central Air Forces training, the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with the destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr., USS Spruance, and USS Michael Murphy, arrived in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

This carrier group became the first to be deployed to the Middle East since the departure of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz from the Middle Eastern region in September 2025.