DOD officials considering deploying Airborne troops to Iran war: report

Defense Department officials are considering deploying a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Iran war, according to a report.The anonymous officials told The New York Times that neither the Pentagon nor U.S. Central Command have issued any orders regarding deployment of the brigade.
The combat brigade would be from the 82nd Airborne’s “Immediate Response Force,” which includes about 3,000 soldiers capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours. If deployed, they could be used to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub.
Another option under consideration is that 2,500 troops from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is on its way to the region, seize the island.
The island’s airfield was damaged in recent U.S. strikes. Former U.S. commanders said it was more likely to first bring in Marines, whose combat engineers could quickly repair airfields and other airport infrastructure, and then after the airfield is repaired, the Air Force could start bringing in supplies and troops, if needed, by C-130s.
Some elements of the division’s headquarters staff might also be deployed as a subordinate headquarters for mission planning and coordination. Earlier this month, the Army canceled the 300-member headquarters’ participation in an exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La.
According to Army officials, the decision to keep the division’s command element at Fort Bragg, N.C., was made in case the DOD ordered the ready brigade to the Middle East.
The DOD and CENTCOM declined the Times’ requests for comment.

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