US elite division exercise cancelled. Boots on the way to the field in Iran?

The cancellation of an exercise by the 82nd Airborne Division, an elite unit specialized in ground combat and other high-risk missions, is fueling speculation about the deployment of US ground troops to the Middle East.

In recent days, the United States Army canceled abruptly an important training exercise for its famous 82nd Airborne Division, an elite paratrooper unit, according to military officials.

The unexpected suspension of the exercise of the elite unit, which awaits further orders, is fuel speculation within the Department of Defense that military personnel specialized in ground combat and a series of other military missions could be sent to the Middle Eastsays The Post.

The 82nd Airborne Division, headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, includes a combat brigade with around 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers ready to be deployed with just 18 hours notice for missions as diverse as seizure of airfields and other critical infrastructures, strengthening US embassies and supporting emergency evacuations.

The unit received orders to stay in North Carolina instead of joining the military exercise taking place at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

The unexpected change of plans and the prominent role of the 82nd Division in previous military conflicts are raising expectations that the Immediate Response Force of the division could be mobilized to Iran.

Until Friday no deployment orders had been issuedarmy officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Post. “We’re all getting ready for something — just in case,”

The same officials highlighted that the Army should soon announce a deployment to the Middle East that was already planned of a unit helicopters of the 82nd Divisionalthough this should only happen towards the end of spring.

The American president, Donald Trumphas presented several explanations for the decision to start the conflict with Iran, and has publicly stated that US ground troops “probably” would not be necessary within the scope of the current campaign. Still, Trump and his top advisers have refused to delete this possibility.

The 82nd Airborne Division’s Immediate Response Force has been mobilized in recent years to reinforce embassy security of the US in Baghdad, shortly before , commander of the Iranian Quds Force, appointed as rresponsible for hundreds of deadly attacks against US military personnel in the Middle East.

The unit also had a Central role in the evacuation from Afghanistanin 2021, and in the United States’ show of force in Eastern Europe, when Russia prepared to invade Ukraine, in 2022.

Since hostilities began more than a week ago, U.S. commanders have resorted to air and naval attacks to target military installations and Tehran’s arsenal of missiles, attack drones and military vessels.

As many of Iran’s defenses collapsed, U.S. forces began to fly directly over Iranlaunching ammunition from fighters, bombers and other aircraft.

The White House spokeswoman, Caroline Leavitttold journalists on Wednesday that the deployment of US ground troops for Iran “is not part of the current plan, but I will not take an option off the table that the president has on the table.”

At a press conference at the Pentagon, held earlier that same day, General Dan Cainechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to comment when asked about the presence of “North American non-terrain boots”, stating that this is a “question for political decision-makers”.

“I don’t do politics. I execute the policy,” Caine added.

As The Post reported last week, Caine had alerted the White House to the fact that the shortage of ammunition and the absence of military support expanded by other US allies to add a considerable risk to any operations in Iran and to personnel placed in danger.

The admiral Charles “Brad” Cooperwho oversees the campaign as head of Central Command, said at a press conference Thursday in Tampa, Florida, that the combat power two United States in the region continues to increase as Iran’s decreases. In recent days, he said, the number of Iranian missiles and drones launched has been falling.

When flying directly over IranCooper said, U.S. forces are reach your “center of gravity directlywith overwhelming power and range.” That includes, he added, B-2 bombers dropping 2,000-pound bombs on underground ballistic missile launchers.

More than 50 thousand US military personnel are involved in the operation and six US soldiers died, at a time when Iran unleashed a fierce counter-attack against American positions and interests throughout the Middle East.

Trump said there will be “probably more” US military casualties before the campaign ends, adding: “Is that so”.

If the administration choose to send ground forces for Iran, one of the first targets, analysts say, could be the Kharg Island.

Located around 25 km from the mainland, in the Persian Gulf, the island is home to some of Tehran’s most important oil infrastructure, through which around 90% of oil exports of the country.

A U.S. takeover of Kharg Island would give the Trump administration the control of a central element of the Iranian economybut would leave U.S. troops vulnerable to attacks.

Michael Rubina senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, called the idea of ​​securing control of Kharg Island a an “obvious” decision and said the Trump administration appears to be “beginning to recognize that Iran poses a much bigger problem than perhaps initially realized.”

Although U.S. troops could come under enemy fire if they were deployed to the island, Rubin stated that their capture would give the U.S. significant strategic advantagesincluding the possibility of strangling Tehran’s ability to finance its armed forces.

Guaranteeing control of Iran’s most important oil infrastructure would also correspond to a Trump’s performance patternwhich has already sought to secure oil wealth for the US through the capture, in January, of the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduroe the intervention in Syria during his first term.

Still, sending ground forces to Iran could represent a significant political risk for the president, who faces anti-war opposition by Democrats and a wing of their own Republican Party.

According to a recent CNN poll, 12% of respondents are in favor sending ground troops to Iran, while 60% are opposed and 28% say they don’t know.