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WASHINGTON D.C. (The Hill) – The Pentagon is poised to send approximately 2,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East. This strategic move aims to enhance the U.S. military’s footprint in the area, offering President Trump additional military options. A source privy to internal discussions, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, shared this information with The Hill on Tuesday.
The troop count remains fluid as the directive was issued within the last day, the source emphasized. It appears unlikely that the entire brigade will be deployed to the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) region.
Both the Army and the Pentagon have directed inquiries to the White House for further comment.
This troop movement aligns with the deployment of thousands of Marines to the Centcom area, where the U.S. military already maintains a presence of approximately 50,000 service members. Their mission is to support Operation Epic Fury, which is now entering its fourth week.
The 82nd Airborne Division is renowned for its rapid response capabilities, able to mobilize within 18 hours of an alert. This enables them to execute “forcible entry parachute assaults” and secure pivotal objectives, facilitating subsequent military operations that align with U.S. national interests.
The 82nd Airborne Division is based at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The New York Times first reported on the Pentagon considering deployment of a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
For now, the U.S. military has relied on bombers, fighter planes, drones and missiles to hit more than 9,000 targets inside Iran, which included ballistic missile sites, drone manufacturing sites, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and other outposts, according to Centcom. The military has also gone after Iran’s navy, damaging or destroying more than 140 Iranian vessels.
Since the start of the war with Iran, 290 U.S. service members have been wounded, a Centcom spokesperson, Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, said in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday.
The vast majority of the injuries were “minor” and over 255 troops have already returned to duty, Hawkins said.