Read the full article in the Jerusalem Post.
U.S. Deploys 82nd Airborne as Trump Warns Iran To Pursue Diplomacy or Face Force
As US President Donald Trump issued a threat to the Iranian leadership to “start getting serious about the diplomatic option”, the United States has been mobilizing a number of elite units to the Middle East, signaling that if diplomacy fails, a “conquest” strategy would be ready for activation.
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Vice Admiral (ret.) Bob Harward, former deputy chief US Central Command (CENTCOM), emphasized the division’s unique lethality. “It’s a fighting force; it’s an infantry division that’s air-dropped onto land,” Harward said. “You can take large numbers of people and put them on the ground very quickly. They parachute into the operation, and no one can really stop them from getting on the ground.”
Supporting the airborne entry are the USS Boxer and USS Tripoli amphibious assault groups, which have been carrying thousands of Marines and a complement of F-35 stealth fighters. These “mini-carriers” are designed specifically for the “ship-to-shore” maneuvers that have defined American power projection for decades.
“It’s a uniquely American capability and skill set,” Harward told the Post. “We designed this amphibious capability because no one could stop us from coming ashore with that method.”
The deployment comes as the Trump administration has been weighing military contingencies to secure critical energy infrastructure. Kharg Island, a primary hub for Iranian oil exports, has been cited as a potential target for such a “Plan B.”
According to Harward, the geography of the island and region plays into the hands of the US forces. “There’s risk associated with any boots-on-the-ground situation,” he noted, “but what makes this [Kharg Island] more palatable and easier is that it’s a small island. You can watch everything on the island, know what the threats are that your forces would deal with when they come ashore.”
Harward explained that the ability to isolate such a target significantly decreases the dangers typically associated with ground invasions. “There are a lot of ways to minimize the risk of taking the island,” he added.
The logistics of such an operation would involve multiple layers of forces working together. “They would send vehicles that float and drive off the ships to establish a foothold,” Harward described. “There could be SEALs going on before to survey the beachfront, determine the best landing, and then bring those forces ashore from the ships.”
While the White House continues to speak of diplomatic solutions, the movement of these forces suggests that a military ground is no longer just a theoretical exercise. If activated, it would mark the first significant US ground operation for territorial conquest in over two decades.