WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is reportedly preparing for the possibility of boots on the ground in the Middle East, as a key Army unit could deploy to the region within days.
The Pentagon is preparing to move over 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division — a rapid response force based at Fort Bragg, N.C. — into position in the Middle East.
According to the U.S. Army, the 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in joint forcible entry operations and capable of quickly seizing airfields and strategic locations while opening the door for larger ground forces.
The White House says diplomatic talks are underway, even as military pressure builds in the region.
“They’re begging to make a deal — not me,” said President Trump.
For now, the 82nd Airborne is not entering Iran, but its presence — as well as that of thousands of Marines and several naval vessels nearby — signals the U.S. is preparing for the possibility, if diplomacy fails.
“If they fail to understand that they have been defeated militarily and will continue to be President, Trump will ensure they are hit harder than they have ever been hit before,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “President Trump does not bluff and he is prepared to unleash hell. Iran should not miscalculate again.”
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are divided over the deployment and what it signals.
“When you deploy forces doesn’t mean they’re going to fight,” said Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., who served as a Lt. General in the United States Marine Corps and currently sits on the House Armed Services Committee. “Really doesn’t send any signal of ‘we’re going to war’ other than the fact that we are ready and trained to defend our interests and the interests of our allies around the world.”
“My career started in the 82nd Airborne Division,” said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., also a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “We are sending these thousands of troops over to the Middle East now, and I’m concerned that we don’t have the plans in place to protect them, that we don’t have the resources and the capabilities in place to protect them in what is an increasingly volatile and dangerous region.”
The conflict has now entered its fourth week and has largely consisted of airstrikes on thousands of targets across Iranian military infrastructure and targets within Iran’s regime.
