Pentagon to Order 3,000 82nd Airborne Soldiers to Middle East
Source: The Wall Street Journal
The Pentagon is planning to deploy a brigade combat team from the Armys elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to support operations against Iran, according to two U.S. officials.
A written order to deploy the unit, made up of roughly 3,000 soldiers, is expected in the coming hours, the officials said.
The 82nd Airbornes combat brigade serves as the Armys emergency response force and can be deployed anywhere in the world in under 24 hours. They train to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure airfields and land. The brigade would be deployed along with the division headquarters, which is responsible for planning and coordination, the officials said.
A decision to put boots on the ground in Iran hasnt been made, officials cautioned. But the movement of the 82nd opens the door for President Trump to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, seize Irans strategic islands or coastline or launch a mission to capture the regimes highly enriched uranium should he choose to do so.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-war-us-israel-news-updates-2026/card/pentagon-to-order-3-000-82nd-airborne-soldiers-to-middle-east-3H7VxKvxkaorsOLcRt5g
Bayard
(29,571 posts)Congress put a STOP to this illegal, incompetent charade! This is just the beginning. Many more of our soldiers will be coming home in caskets.
I tried leaving a fierce VM at Rand Paul's DC office. It runs out of time for everything I wanted to say, but I think I got my point across. I think I'll start calling every day.
Bayard
(29,571 posts)I also just left VM's for my worthless Rep, Brett Guthrie. VM for Sen. Schumer and Rep. Jeffries.
Gotta start squawking, people!
mahatmakanejeeves
(69,635 posts)Pentagon Officials Weigh Deployment of Airborne Troops for Iran War
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/us/politics/us-airborne-troops-iran.html
By Greg Jaffe and Eric Schmitt
Reporting from Washington
March 23, 2026 [no further time stamp]
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TWSJ. authors:
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/lara-seligman
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/shelby-holliday
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/michael-r-gordon
Thanks.
LudwigPastorius
(14,678 posts)It can be done, if the Iranians don't set it ablaze, but once troops are there the clock starts ticking on resupply.
One good sized ballistic missile from the Iranian coast can put the Kharg airstrip out of commission, meaning that 5,000 troops would have to be resupplied with airdrops alone.