The United States (US) has ordered the deployment of an additional 4,500 Marines and sailors to the Middle East in response to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
These deployments of additional troops indicate that strategic options remain wide and active, despite President Donald Trump’s earlier denial of the deployments.
According to Reuters reports on March 20, the US military was deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to the Middle East, as cited by three U.S. officials.
Further, the officials said that no decision had been made to send troops into Iran itself, but they will build up the capacity for potential future operations in the region.
According to multiple defence sources, the deployment includes elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, reinforcing existing forces already under US Central Command (CENTCOM).
CNN further reported that thousands more US Marines and sailors are heading towards the Middle East as the war with Iran is about to enter its fourth week.
The sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss future deployments, did not say what the role of the additional troops would be.
One of the officials said the troops were departing the West Coast of the United States about three weeks earlier than scheduled. The expeditionary unit has about 2,500 Marines.
The additional deployments will bring the total to 50,000 U.S. troops already in theThe
Middle East and will deploy two Marine Expeditionary Units to the region.
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