Army Sky Soldiers Prep for Middle East Deployment as US Buildup ContinuesU.S. Army paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade are preparing to deploy to the Middle East to beef up U.S. military ground forces in the region amid threats of military action by Iran, an Army official has confirmed to Military.com.
The Pentagon continues to tap available ground forces to send to the U.S. Central Command region in the wake of escalating tensions with Iran. The Iranian government has made bold threats against the U.S., promising to retaliate after President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike Thursday that killed Iran's Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
Maj. Chris Bradley, a spokesman for the Italy-based 173rd, told Stars and Stripes on Monday that 173rd soldiers "are deploying to posture to defend U.S. personnel and property as directed" but did not discuss the size of the deployment.........
............On Friday, the Pentagon ordered about 3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd's 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment to deploy to the Middle East, three days after the emergency alert and deployment of the 504th's 2nd Battalion as part of the joint Immediate Response Force (IRF)...........
.........In addition to conventional Army forces, the entire Bataan Amphibious Ready Group has been ordered to the region. The group includes the amphibious assault ship Bataan, amphibious transport dock ship New York, dock landing ship Oak Hill and about 4,500 Marines and sailors...............
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/01/06/army-sky-soldiers-prep-middle-east-deployment-us-buildup-continues.html
