Panicked Pentagon Sends Land Invasion Force to Middle East

https://www.thedailybeast.com/panicked-pentagon-sends-land-invasion-force-to-middle-east/

24 Comments

  1. KieferSutherland on

    How many ground troops did Israel deploy? 

    Congress approved this right? 🙃

  2. It’s really hard to search for Daily Beast article names in Google, to find non-paywall versions. Anyone have an excerpt?

    EDIT – (From the article): “As many as 5,000 additional U.S. Marines are heading for the Middle East in a possible escalation of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, according to a report.

    Days after Trump appeared to suggest the conflict was “done,” the Pentagon has reportedly agreed to send additional warships and troops to bolster U.S. forces in the region.

    U.S. administration officials have refused to rule out using boots on the ground to launch an all-out assault on the Iranian regime.

    With the two-week air assault failing to bring down the regime and growing pressure from the president’s MAGA base for a quick win, the development suggests the administration is planning a change of strategy to take out Tehran.

    The *Wall Street Journal* [has claimed](https://archive.ph/o/kN1qU/https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-israel-iran-war-news-2026/card/pentagon-sends-marine-expeditionary-unit-to-middle-east-WeoODg0XIIe31W3np2aI) that the newly deployed troops include a Marine expeditionary unit with several warships and a potential landing force of 5,000 Marines.

    It will be part of an “Amphibious Ready Group,” reports the *Journal*, based on interviews with three U.S. officials.

    An ARG usually includes three ships—an amphibious assault ship, a dock landing ship, and a transport dock—along with helicopters and fighter jets such as the F-35B Lightning II.

    The expeditionary unit provides an all-purpose Marine air-ground assault team for sea, air, and land combat.

    One of the ARG’s chief uses, as explained in its official guide, is, under certain situations, to carry out “the rapid insertion of sustainable combat forces—“boots on the ground”—to underscore the nation’s commitment to an ally or to protect our National Security interests.”
    The USS Tripoli and its Marine detachment are said to be heading for the Middle East from their current location in Japan.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly agreed to the request from U.S. Central Command. The Pentagon has not commented on the Journal report.

    The use of ground troops would raise the stakes in a war that has so far been fought in the air. It would also make it impossible for Trump to declare victory and move on, as he did with Venezuela after snatching the South American country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.
    Trump has been under pressure to act over the impasse in the Strait of Hormuz, the key world waterway for oil, which has been paralyzed by Iranian missile attacks.”

  3. USS Tripoli and the 31st MEU:

    For those who are wondering what that is….

    USS Tripoli – amphibious assault ship

    31st MEU – is based out of Okinawa Japan. they are a Marine Expeditionary Unit attachment with the USS Tripoli ( hence the acronym). total of ~2,200-2,500 marines

    looks like boots on the ground is happening.

    so much for the “excursion” narrative trump gave to his idiot base

    how many more body bags will have to come home for congress to step in and stop this?

  4. Is this going to be like Afghanistan where we have to occupy the country for 20 years?

  5. SamtheCossack on

    We used 460,000 troops, with another 120,000 Coalition troops, to invade Iraq in 2003.

    Iran is three times the land area with three times the people. I don’t think 5,000 Marines are going to quite cut it.

  6. alliebot12345 on

    > As many as 5,000 additional U.S. Marines are heading for the Middle East in a possible escalation of Donald Trump’s war on Iran, according to a report.

    > Days after Trump appeared to suggest the conflict was “done,” the Pentagon has reportedly agreed to send additional warships and troops to bolster U.S. forces in the region.

    > U.S. administration officials have refused to rule out using boots on the ground to launch an all-out assault on the Iranian regime.

    > With the two-week air assault failing to bring down the regime and growing pressure from the president’s MAGA base for a quick win, the development suggests the administration is planning a change of strategy to take out Tehran.

    > The Wall Street Journal has claimed that the newly deployed troops include a Marine expeditionary unit with several warships and a potential landing force of 5,000 Marines.

    > It will be part of an “Amphibious Ready Group,” reports the Journal, based on interviews with three U.S. officials.

    > U.S. Marines with Lima Company, Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, board a CH-53E Super Stallion with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced), 11th MEU, before an amphibious assault in the Pacific Ocean, March 2, 2026.

    > An ARG usually includes three ships—an amphibious assault ship, a dock landing ship, and a transport dock—along with helicopters and fighter jets such as the F-35B Lightning II.

    > The expeditionary unit provides an all-purpose Marine air-ground assault team for sea, air, and land combat.

    > One of the ARG’s chief uses, as explained in its official guide, is, under certain situations, to carry out “the rapid insertion of sustainable combat forces—‘boots on the ground’—to underscore the nation’s commitment to an ally or to protect our National Security interests.”

    > The USS Tripoli and its Marine detachment are said to be heading for the Middle East from their current location in Japan.

    > Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly agreed to the request from U.S. Central Command. The Pentagon has not commented on the Journal report.

    > The use of ground troops would raise the stakes in a war that has so far been fought in the air. It would also make it impossible for Trump to declare victory and move on, as he did with Venezuela after snatching the South American country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.

    > Trump has been under pressure to act over the impasse in the Strait of Hormuz, the key world waterway for oil, which has been paralyzed by Iranian missile attacks.

    > The U.S. death toll is also mounting, with six more U.S. deaths confirmed on Friday after a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.

  7. tapdancinghellspawn on

    So fucking idiotic. Trump and Hegseth are so fucking stupid. Iran would make Iraq look like a cakewalk.

  8. Illustrious_Sign_872 on

    As someone who remembers the first and second war in Iraq, very very well, I never ever thought I would have to chant “no blood for oil” ever again. But here we are.

  9. MAGA, Republicans, Christians, FiScAl CoNsErVaTiVeS, all spent the last week or so saying boots on the ground was their “hard line”. I can’t wait to watch these spineless people fail to stand for something again lol

  10. Upstairs-Egg on

    Trump’s administration has stolen so much money from Americans that I don’t think we’ll ever see it returned in my lifetime.

  11. TheGOPisTheDeepState on

    Trump: Suckers and losers go die for my distraction war from being a pedophile in my beautiful and best Trump and Epstein files. America Last campaign is winning bigly!