The US Navy says it will not fly F-15E and F-16E fighters to the Persian Gulf, a move it says was taken out of a “respect for national security” and out of concerns for “public safety”.

The announcement came after the US Congress voted to authorize the use of the Navy’s F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets to strike ISIS targets.

It comes as the US Air Force prepares to launch its new fighter, the Apache attack helicopter.

The Navy announced that it would not fly the F-18C Hornet fighter jet to the region.

On Saturday, US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter said the US would not use the US F-17 and F/A-18 fighter jets in the Gulf.

Carter said the decision would be made in a timely manner to maintain the safety of US forces and personnel.

“There are going to be many factors that come into play and the decision is made in such a way that it’s not going to affect US forces, their personnel, their ability to protect the people of the Gulf region,” he said.

This article was updated at 2:12pm.