
Senior Pentagon officials on Thursday said the department is working to receive the Iraqi government’s permission before deploying a Patriot missile defense system to the region. Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters they believe a Patriot battery is still required to protect U.S. troops in the wake of Iran’s recent missile attack on the al-Asad air base in Iraq. “We need the permission of the Iraqis. That’s…