The Pentagon is moving thousands of Marines and sailors to the Middle East ahead of schedule, three American officials told Reuters, as the military builds up its capacity for potential further operations in the region.
The accelerated deployment centers on the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit of roughly 2,500 troops, along with accompanying warships. One official said the forces are departing the US West Coast approximately three weeks earlier than originally planned.
The move adds to an existing American military presence of around 50,000 troops already stationed across the Middle East and would bring a second Marine Expeditionary Unit into the region. Reuters reported that the first MEU, deployed from the Indo-Pacific, is expected to arrive as early as next week.
The officials, who spoke anonymously to discuss troop movements not yet publicly announced, did not specify what role the incoming forces would play. Two of them told Reuters that no decision has been made to send ground troops into Iran itself, describing the buildup as preparation for possible future operations rather than an imminent mission.
President Donald Trump, asked about the deployments on Thursday, told reporters he was not sending troops “anywhere” — but added that if he were, he would not be informing the press. The White House directed further questions to the Pentagon, which had not responded by the time of Reuters’ report.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, meanwhile, is headed to Souda Bay in Crete for repairs after sustaining a laundry room fire. Reuters was told the Navy plans to send the USS George H.W. Bush as its replacement. The Ford had been at sea for more than nine months.
The deployment comes as the Trump administration continues to weigh its next moves in a campaign against Iran that began on February 28. Reuters has previously reported that options under consideration include seizing control of the Strait of Hormuz and potentially positioning US forces along Iran’s coastline. Sending ground troops to Kharg Island — the transit point for around 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports — has also been discussed.
Any ground offensive would carry considerable political exposure for Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed Thursday showed 65 percent of Americans believe Trump will order a large-scale ground war in Iran, while only 7 percent said they support that course of action. Trump had campaigned on keeping the US out of new Middle East entanglements.
The Pentagon says US forces have struck more than 7,000 targets inside Iran and disabled over 40 Iranian mine-laying vessels and 11 submarines since the campaign began.
The scale of the funding request signals the administration is preparing for a prolonged conflict: Reuters reported that the Pentagon has asked the White House to seek more than $200 billion from Congress to sustain the operation.
