Pentagon Deploys 4,000-Plus Marines, Sailors to Middle East as Naval Buildup Grows
More than 4,000 Marines and sailors are being sent by the Pentagon to the Middle East on three warships, part of a widening Navy buildup inside the US Central Command area of responsibility.
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, which serves as the flagship of the amphibious readiness group, was observed leaving San Diego on Monday.
Aboard the group is the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a forward-deployed task force of roughly 2,200 Marines and sailors. The amphibious landing ships USS Anchorage and USS John P. Murtha, both assigned to the same group, also departed San Diego that Monday.
When asked about the deployment, the Navy directed questions to the US Pacific Fleet.
In a Wednesday statement, a US Pacific Fleet spokesperson said the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are conducting routine operations in the US 3rd Fleet area of operations. The spokesperson said the 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the region and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to execute the Navy's role across the full spectrum of military operations, from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
According to the spokesperson, the 3rd Fleet also works with allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation and overflight, the rule of law, and other principles that underpin security for the region.
Already in the Middle East is the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, which carries the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Heading to the Centcom region is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which will take the place of the USS George Washington. The George Washington had been sent to the Middle East from the Indo-Pacific.
About 5,000 personnel are typically carried aboard the Roosevelt. Together with the Makin Island amphibious readiness group, the US is dispatching roughly 9,000 personnel on multiple ships to the Middle East.
US service members operating in the Centcom region number more than 50,000.
Both the USS George Washington and the USS George H.W. Bush are in the Middle East.
The American warships are assisting in enforcing a naval blockade against vessels seeking to enter or leave Iranian ports. Centcom said in a Wednesday update that US forces have redirected 125 commercial vessels to ensure compliance since the blockade resumed in July.
On Thursday, President Trump said the US war against Iran will end soon.
"Iran will very soon be ending — one way or the other," the president told reporters, predicting that once it does, oil prices will go down.
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