President Joe Biden, along with First Lady Jill Biden, arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Friday to participate in the solemn ceremony of the "dignified transfer" for three US soldiers who were killed in a drone attack in Jordan.
The attack has been attributed to an Iran-backed militia. The President and the families of the fallen soldiers were met with a gray C-5 military transport plane that carried the bodies in flag-covered "transfer cases," which are the designated caskets for transportation.
The attendance of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff CQ Brown at the event highlights the significance and rarity of repatriating deceased service members following the US withdrawal from major foreign conflicts.
Last Sunday, William Rivers, Kennedy Sanders, and Breonna Moffett, all hailing from Georgia, lost their lives in a drone strike on their remote US base near Syria in Jordan.
The White House holds the Islamic Resistance in Iraq militia responsible for the attack, and President Biden has announced his intention to launch counter-strikes, although the specifics regarding timing and targets remain undisclosed. Despite the United States' disengagement from large-scale involvements in Iraq and Afghanistan, escalating tensions in the Middle East, triggered by the Israel-Hamas conflict, pose a potential risk of drawing US forces back into regional hostilities.
These military casualties mark the first instances of US soldiers being killed in combat since the surprise attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7th, which subsequently led to a deadly Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Nevertheless, there are occasional exchanges of fire between the US military and Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, while Yemen's Huthi rebels engage in near-daily clashes with US Navy ships or target international civilian vessels in the Red Sea.
In January, two highly skilled SEALS, who are among the most elite special forces in the US military, lost their lives while attempting to board and search a ship.
While it is not mandatory for presidents to attend dignified transfers, President Biden is facing pressure to demonstrate his authority and reassure the American public, especially as he seeks reelection in November.
His potential Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, has launched vehement attacks on Biden's leadership, while another potential challenger, Nikki Haley, has accused Biden of indecisiveness in his response.
