United States Vice Admiral Kevin “Kid” Donegan, head of the Naval Forces Central Command, may not sing like Tom Petty, but he can chirp like him — and he did, at the Dubai Air Show, regarding the branch’s presence in the Arabian Gulf, just off the coast of Iran.

“We are definitely not leaving the region,” he said. “You are not going to see the Navy leaving this region anytime soon.”

According to officials, the Navy has its most advanced weapons technology armed and ready in the Gulf, including a laser “capable of destroying or disabling targets with dazzling accuracy” as well as erasing incoming ballistic missiles.

And get this: it’s located just off the coast of Iran.

Donegan says that his 5th Fleet commanders have permission to use the state-of-art offensive, but only “if a critical situation arises”.

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[…] the Navy is aggressively adding ships to the Gulf region in the next few years. By 2020, the 5th Fleet will grow from 30 ships to 40 ships, Donegan said.

Donegan’s comments come at a critical point for US relations in the region, with critics openly accusing the Pentagon of pulling out of the fight against the Islamic State.

The number of reported airstrikes by the US in Syria dropped after Russia began flying in the region, going from an average of seven strikes a day in August to less than four strikes a day in October. The Pentagon has denied that Russia’s presence has been the driver for that dip in strikes, instead blaming a series of factors including an increased focus of US airpower on Iraq and environmental factors.

Adding to the perception that the US is drawing down forces in the Gulf, the Navy currently has no carrier presence in the region. The USS Theodore Roosevelt left the Gulf in October, marking the first time since 2007 the Navy hasn’t had a carrier deployed to the 5th Fleet’s area of operations. The Roosevelt’s relief, the USS Harry S. Truman, isn’t expected to arrive in the Gulf until this winter, leaving a carrier gap of at least two months.