In the wake of the drone attack, President Joe Biden's administration is vowing to do whatever it takes to protect US troops from an escalating cycle of violence in the Middle East.
Demonstrators, including families of hostages, are once again blocking aid trucks from entering the Gaza Strip in Kerem Shalom, despite US demand that aid enter unhindered.
Austin, who sits just below Biden at the top of the chain of command of the US military, withheld his hospitalization on New Year's Day from the president and the public for days.
Even members of the White House's National Security Council were not informed, and Congress was apparently notified only 15 minutes before the press.
“In the Red Sea, we are leading a multi-national maritime task force to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation,” Austin said.
For Austin, the trip is a delicate balancing act.
Kuwait has played a very circumspect role in the region.
The government needs to stop playing politics and instead outline a vision for the day after in Gaza.
Democrats said the Republican bill would be dead on arrival in the Senate, even if it passed the House.
There are already some 2,000 US troops ready to be deployed.
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