US military officials are considering deploying a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to support the war with Iran and potentially take part in an operation aimed at seizing control of Iran’s Kharg Island, The New York Times reported on Monday.
The troops would come from the 82nd Airborne’s “Immediate Response Force,” a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers that can deploy anywhere in the world. Officials speaking to the Times said that while planning was underway, there has been no order from the Pentagon to deploy troops to the region so far.
The report said that the 3,000 Airborne troops could be used to seize the island, or the US could opt to use about 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, who are already en route to the region, for the operation. A second MEU is also reportedly being deployed to the Middle East.
One issue with using the Marines is that they’re traveling on warships and would sustain significant Iranian missile and drone fire when attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz and reach Kharg Island, which is deep inside the Persian Gulf.
Former US commanders told the Times that recent US airstrikes damaged an airfield on Kharg Island, making it more likely to first bring in Marines, whose combat engineers could quickly repair airfields and other airport infrastructure, and then augment the Marines with the 82nd Airborne troops.
The Trump administration does appear to be seriously considering an operation to take Kharg Island, which would mark a major escalation of the war and could lead to significant US casualties. If US forces successfully capture the island, it will be difficult to hold under a heavy barrage of Iranian missiles and drones.
