When the United States Pentagon announced changing Operation Iraqi Freedom to the more peaceful-sounding Operation New Dawn in early 2010, it was more than merely semantic. The change represented a transition from a primarily combative role on the part of the US armed forces to one of support and transition to an independent, stable Iraq. But while an economically shaken American public lauds regular reports of the slow and steady decrease in troop numbers in Iraq, recent US Department of Defense contract awards and budgetary allocations reviewed by The International indicate a substantial increase in the resources funneled from the Pentagon into Middle East operations in Kuwait, suggesting an expanding role for US military forces in the region.