The U.S. Department of Defense recently has dispatched two more Patriot missile defense system batteries to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The operation is a military step to strengthen the protection of key oil and gas installations throughout the area.

Those high-tech defense systems were delivered last month, reports say, citing two U.S. officials and a regional source. This is the latest sign of the U.S. Central Command’s continued efforts to secure stability and to keep vital energy infrastructure safe in the Middle East.

The deployment follows complicated geo-political calculations by the Government of Qatar and its neighbouring countries. If the White House chooses to launch serious air strikes against Iran, U.S. aircraft will need to fly over Saudi airspace.

But getting this clearance may be difficult. If the Saudi government in Riyadh thinks its energy facilities remain exposed and vulnerable to retaliatory Iranian attacks, the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia most likely will refuse permission to use the airspace. The Patriot batteries being deployed to the area are intended to address these very weaknesses and protect the area’s energy supply.