Defense

Pentagon set to deploy 2,000 troops from 82nd Airborne to Middle East

by Filip Timotija - 03/24/26 7:21 PM ET

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The Pentagon is preparing to deploy about 2,000 U.S. troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, bolstering the U.S. military presence in the region and providing more options for President Trump, a source familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal military deliberations, told The Hill on Tuesday.

The number of troops could change as the verbal order was given in the last 24 hours, the source stressed, adding that it is likely the full brigade will not be dispatched to the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) area.

The Army and Pentagon referred The Hill to the White House for comment.

The planned deployment of troops comes as thousands of Marines are going to the Centcom region, where the U.S. military already has about 50,000 U.S. service members, to aid in Operation Epic Fury, which has crossed into its fourth week.

When ordered, the 82nd Airborne Division can deploy within 18 hours of notification and can conduct “forcible entry parachute assaults” and secure “key objectives for follow-on military operations in support of U.S. national interests.”

The 82nd Airborne Division is based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The New York Times first reported that the Pentagon was considering deployment of a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

For now, the U.S. military has relied on bombers, fighter planes, drones and missiles to hit more than 9,000 targets inside Iran, which have included ballistic missile sites, drone manufacturing sites, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and other outposts, according to Centcom. The military has also gone after Iran’s navy, damaging or destroying more than 140 Iranian vessels.

Since the start of the war with Iran, 290 U.S. service members have been wounded, a Centcom spokesperson, Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, said in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday.

The vast majority of the injuries were “minor,” and more than 255 troops have already returned to duty, Hawkins said.

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