Military experts say the U.S. asset mobilization in the Middle East theater is now resembling a real staging for war, with the prevailing chatter more about "when" than "if" an attack will happen.
One of the data points catching the eye of these experts is the number of air tankers — military aircraft used to refuel combat fighters in midair — that are in or headed to the region. Open source intelligence analysts say there are at least 87 such tankers either in CENTCOM theater now (21) or in strategic locations outside that command or staging in Europe. Most are KC-135 Stratotankers, made by Boeing.
"Pulling the hammer back. Strikes could occur any time now," said one retired flag officer when RS asked him about the tankers.
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