Pentagon Sends Marine Expeditionary Unit to Middle East
Source: The Wall Street Journal.
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The Wall Street Journal
@wsj.com
The Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to two U.S. officials. Expeditionary units typically consist of up to 2,500 Marines.
Pentagon Sends Marine Expeditionary Unit to Middle East
The Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to two U.S. officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from U.S. Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East, for the e
on.wsj.com
11:21 AM · Mar 13, 2026
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The Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to two U.S. officials. Expeditionary units typically consist of up to 2,500 Marines.
— The Wall Street Journal (@wsj.com) 2026-03-13T15:21:07.395156Z
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-israel-iran-war-news-2026/card/pentagon-sends-marine-expeditionary-unit-to-middle-east-WeoODg0XIIe31W3np2aI
A tweet says they're headed to Kharg Island. I don't link to tweets anymore. (Existing links stay in place.)
Print edition:
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-israel-iran-war-news-2026/card/pentagon-sends-marine-expeditionary-unit-to-middle-east-WeoODg0XIIe31W3np2aI
Pentagon Is Moving Additional Marines, Warships to the Middle East
By Lara Seligman
The USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship saeed khan/AFP/Getty Images
The Pentagon is moving additional Marines and warships to the Middle East as Iran steps up its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from U.S. Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East, for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines, the officials said.
The Japan-based USS Tripoli and its attached Marines are now headed for the Middle East, two of the officials said. Marines are already in the Middle East supporting the Iran operation, the officials said.
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https://www.wsj.com/news/author/lara-seligman
Lara Seligman
National Security Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
Lara Seligman is a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Washington, where she covers the White House and the Pentagon. She previously spent four years at Politico as a defense reporter.
Lara's reporting on the military and the defense industry has taken her around the world, with time spent covering geopolitics in real time in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Lara previously covered the Pentagon and national security for Foreign Policy. She also has written for publications including the Washington Post and Defense News.
= new reply since forum marked as read
• They are already "trained" (in random violence against civilians. Checks one box)
• Bonespur "victims" have already been weeded out.
• They are already government employees and must go where assigned. (saves TONS of paperwork)
• They already have weapons, and unspent budget money.
• They already have swell masks to protect from radioactive dust that bombing reactors creates.
• They (probably) already have military haircuts, and (this is big)
• Their kill to loss ratio is infinite.
Oh, and ...
• It's them or Barron.
Danes Agree, YES, DANES!
What an honor that must be for them. 
Where they will be showered with flowers?
USS Tripoli Operating in CENTCOM, USS Gerald R. Ford in Croatia
Mallory Shelbourne
March 28, 2026 12:43 PM
USS Tripoli (LHA-7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27, 2026. US Central Command photo
Big deck amphibious warship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) and its embarked Marines are now operating in U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon announced Saturday. ... Tripoli reached the theater Friday after transiting the Strait of Malacca and making a stop in Diego Garcia, according to the USNI News Fleet & Marine Tracker.
“U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA-7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27,” CENTCOM posted on social media website X. ... “The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about 3,500 Sailors and Marines in addition to transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets.”
Members of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard USS Tripoli (LHA-7) arrived March 27, 2026, in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. US Central Command photo
The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group includes Tripoli, USS New Orleans (LPD-18) and elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Tripoli is the Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship based out of Sasebo, Japan. USS Rushmore (LSD-47), which is also based in Sasebo, is expected to meet up with the ARG/MEU, USNI News understands.
The Pentagon tasked Tripoli to the Middle East earlier this month amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. It’s unclear what missions the ARG/MEU will perform in the region, but these units have historically conducted non-combatant evacuation operations in the Middle East.
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