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Paratroopers leaping down from Osprey choppers and swarming onto the shores of Kharg Island under a hail of gunfire…could this be the next phase of fighting in the Iran war?
The Pentagon is sending its prestigious 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East— elite soldiers trained to parachute into hostile foreign territory and take control of the area.
The deployment, leaked to media on Tuesday, is just the latest round of forces being directed to the region as the U.S. gears up for a potentially huge escalation in the war — a possible invasion of Iran’s oil export hub.
Up to 3,000 paratroopers could be joining the estimated 5,000 Marines currently being shipped over, swelling the ranks of the 50,000 American troops already in the Middle East.
President Donald Trump has proposed a deal with the Iranians this week, but also threatened attacks, saying the U.S. “can take out” Kharg Island “at any time”. The small island, sitting just 15 miles off the mainland, is crucial to Iran’s already poor economy, as it accounts for 90 percent of Tehran’s oil exports.
U.S. forces bombed it last week, targeting naval mine sites. But the arrival of thousands of Army soldiers and Marines could give the White House several options to launch an attack on land and allow the administration to make good on its threat.
Why Seize Kharg Island?
Iran’s shut down of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial shipping lane through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas normally transits, has been one of the most effective elements of its fight back against the U.S and Israel’s bombardments since February 28.
Blocking flows through the strait has sent oil and gas prices soaring on supply concerns, wreaking havoc on share markets.
Seizing Kharg Island, which lies further north of the Strait in the Gulf, would give the U.S. control of Iran’s oil exports — the backbone of its economy — and also a foothold in the waterway. Taking control of Kharg would pressure Tehran into easing its chokehold on the Strait.
Iran says it is prepared for a U.S. invasion, though. On Wednesday, one of its top wartime leaders said Tehran was “closely monitoring all U.S. movements in the region, especially troop deployments.”
“Do not test our resolve to defend our land,” warned parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Why Has the 82nd Airborne Division Been Deployed?
The 82nd — a division of the U.S. Army — is usually stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, but can be deployed anywhere, at any time. Officials speaking anonymously have indicated the troops are being sent over, but details on when they would arrive or where they would go have not been disclosed yet.
Unlike other soldiers, they’re trained to swoop into an area within 18 hours without lots of tanks or armored vehicles to back them up. That can leave them vulnerable to enemy attacks, experts say, but their goal is speed and surprise.
They would be supported by thousands of Marines who have also been ordered to the region in recent days. These Marines are masters of missions like quickly taking control of islands, said retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, now a professor of practice of public administration and international affairs at Syracuse University.
Establishing control over an island is “as front a center a mission” as these Marines could have, Murrett told Newsweek.
The Marine Element
Just shy of 5,000 Marines are currently heading to the Middle East, in two Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).
The 31st MEU, made up of 2,200 Marines, are travelling with the USS Tripoli, which left Japan last week and is expected to arrive in the region on Friday.
The Pentagon has also ordered the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) — made up of three warships and carrying the 11th MEU — to the region from California. That will take about three to four weeks to arrive, according to reports.
It’s “unusual” for two large MEUs to be deployed at the same time in the Middle East, Murrett said. They would likely work together as even combined, they would still be a relatively small force when pitched against what could be thousands of Iranian soldiers.
While it would make sense to use this number of troops on an island or to launch in-and-out raids on the mainland, they couldn’t hold territory on Iran’s coast for any length of time. These rapid-response units don’t have enough soldiers or equipment to do this successfully.
There have been reports that the U.S. could send troops to clear Iran’s southern coastline, ultimately reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Speculation has also swirled that the U.S. could take other islands off Iran’s coast to achieve the same goal as the need to restore traffic in the strait becomes more pressing for the U.S.
An ARG is made up of an amphibious assault ship — in this case, the USS Boxer, which is essentially a small aircraft carrier ferrying troops, helicopters, and advanced fighter jets — and two other ships.
They carry vehicles, equipment, and smaller landing craft for Marines to quickly land on shore.
Such an operation would be an amphibious assault, where U.S. troops would surge onto land from small boats and helicopters, supported by aircraft firing on any Iranian assets that could threaten the American personnel.
The U.S. would find and knock out the major defenses on Kharg in advance. Iranian state-linked media reported that U.S. strikes last week had targeted air defenses on the island, which would threaten troops, aircraft, and ships in a future invasion.
But Iran would still have some weapons to hit back at an invasion, including firing longer-range ballistic missiles or drones from the mainland.
Fighter jets and helicopters would need to shield the U.S. forces while they establish positions on the island, from which they can then launch further attacks.
But it’s risky. Troop deaths would be a nearly impossible to avoid, and although the Marines would receive some cover from their fighter jets and helicopters, ARGs don’t have the same firepower to target Iranian threats as aircraft carriers.
So a Navy destroyer ship, equipped with powerful long-range missiles, would be key in protecting the ARG, said Murrett.
However, getting bigger ships close enough to the island to support the Marines has its own dangers. They would likely come under fire from Iranian forces, including from anti-ship missiles, and there are fears of mines within the waterway.
Once they’re on shore, the countdown starts. While the Marines and the 82nd could hold an island for a while — even under persistent Iranian fire — they would be unlikely to keep control of mainland Iranian sites without more troops arriving quickly.
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Prestigious 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East
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