The Department of War is preparing to dispatch 3,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, according to reports that broke on Tuesday. The Pentagon is anticipated to send a roughly 3,000-member brigade combat team from the elite unit based in North Carolina to back the US and Israel in their conflict with Iran, per the Wall Street Journal.
Recognized as one of the military’s top rapid-response units, the 82nd Airborne is structured to mobilize quickly, capable of deploying a battalion within 18 hours and an entire brigade within 72 hours.
Officials at the Defense Department are expected to make a formal announcement regarding the brigade’s deployment in the coming days.
This comes after there were reports indicating that the Trump administration was considering the deployment of troops to the region in order to take Kharg Island, the piece of land where the large majority of crude oil exports pass through to get shipped out of Iran.
