Members of the leadership team of the Fort Bragg-based 82nd Airborne Division are being sent to the Middle East as part of the war with Iran, and large numbers of front-line troops from the unit could follow.
A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed with NPR's Tom Bowman that the commanding general of the 82nd and members of his headquarters staff will deploy to the Middle East as the White House and Pentagon weigh sending troops from the division.
The official said that it remains possible that the deployment of a brigade combat team from the 82nd could be announced within the coming days.
The 82nd is a key quick-response unit for the military and keeps a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers ready to deploy anywhere in the world on notice of less than a day.
For now, it’s unclear what role those additional paratroopers might play if they are sent.
The headquarters deployment comes amidst claims from President Trump that his administration has been negotiating for an end to the war.
The President has given mixed signals about sending ground troops into Iran, but the Pentagon has already sent two Marine Corps expeditionary units of more than 2,000 Marines and sailors each to the region.
Analysts and politicians including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham have said one potential target for ground troops could be Iran’s Kharg Island, an island about 16 miles off that country’s coast that is used as a port to ship out most of Iran’s oil exports.
U.S. forces have already struck military positions on the island.
Several F-15E Strike Eagle jets from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro have been deployed for the war and are flying undisclosed missions.
Troops and aircraft from a Bragg-based helicopter unit, the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, also are expected to deploy to the Middle East, but that was long-planned as part of ongoing U.S. military presence in the region.
About 800 N.C. National Guard soldiers also are poised for a similar long-planned rotation unrelated to the war and are in Texas waiting for final orders.
Meanwhile, more than 40 members of the state’s Air Force National Guard — including aircrew, flight nurses, and medical technicians — are flying missions related to the war with their C-17 transport jets.
