Photo: Alamy
The Pentagon is preparing to deploy a brigade combat team from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to support operations related to the conflict involving Iran, according to U.S. officials cited in reports Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal reported that a formal order to deploy roughly 3,000 troops could be issued soon.
Fox News also reported that Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, along with his command staff and headquarters element, has been directed to prepare for deployment to the region as military planners consider possible next steps in the conflict.
The brigade would deploy alongside the division’s headquarters element, which oversees operational planning and coordination.
The 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, serves as the Army’s rapid response force and is trained to deploy worldwide within 24 hours. The unit specializes in airborne operations and can parachute into contested areas to secure key locations such as airfields.
Officials emphasized that no decision has been made to send U.S. ground forces into Iran. However, deploying elements of the 82nd Airborne would expand President Donald Trump’s military options in the region.
Those options could include operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route, securing Iranian-controlled islands or coastal territory, or targeting Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, according to officials cited in the reports.
The potential deployment comes amid a broader buildup of U.S. forces in the region as the United States and Israel conduct military operations targeting Iranian leadership and military infrastructure.
The 82nd Airborne is often among the first units mobilized during international crises because of its high readiness and ability to quickly establish a foothold in hostile environments.
One potential objective mentioned by officials is Kharg Island, a small island that handles about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports. The island has been struck repeatedly by U.S. forces since the conflict began Feb. 28 and contains major oil facilities, a civilian workforce and an unknown number of Iranian military personnel.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered a large bombing raid targeting the island, which he has described as Iran’s “crown jewel.”