The Pentagon has ordered about 2,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to begin moving to the Middle East to give President Trump additional military options even as he weighs a new diplomatic initiative with Iran, two Defense Department officials said on Tuesday.
The combat forces would come from the division’s “Immediate Response Force,” a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours.
The contingent includes Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier, the division commander, and dozens of his staff members, as well as two battalions, each with about 800 soldiers, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. More of the brigade’s soldiers could be sent in the coming days, the officials said.
It is unclear where the paratroopers will go in the Middle East, but the location would be within striking distance of Iran, the officials said. For instance, the paratroopers could be used to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub in the northern Persian Gulf, where the U.S. military conducted a large bombing raid earlier this month.
About 2,500 Marines from the 31st Expeditionary Unit are scheduled to arrive in the Middle East later this week, and U.S. commanders could also use them to seize Kharg Island or to help clear the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the strategic waterway to most commercial traffic.
The airfield on Kharg Island was damaged by the recent U.S. strikes, so former U.S. commanders said it was more likely to first bring in the Marines, whose combat engineers could quickly repair airport infrastructure. Once the airfield is repaired, the Air Force could start sending in matériel and troops, if necessary, by C-130 cargo planes.
In that scenario, it is possible that the troops from the 82nd Airborne would augment the Marines. Even though paratroopers can arrive overnight, they do not bring heavy equipment, such as heavily armored vehicles, that would offer protection if Iranian forces counterattacked, current and former officials said.
Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times. He has reported on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism for more than three decades.
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