The U.S. Marine Corps is sending more than 2,000 men currently stationed in Japan to the Middle East as the joint U.S.-Israeli Operation Epic Fury continues to intensify.
The Wall Street Journal and ABC News reported the deployment shift first and Fox News subsequently confirmed it after speaking with a federal official. Fox’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin posted on X, “US defense official confirms to Fox News that the Pentagon is sending the USS Tripoli, a Marine Amphibious Ready Group, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) to Mideast. The Tripoli is stationed out of Japan and would take about 2 weeks to get to the Mideast. Accompanying the ARG and the MEU are approx. 2500 US Marines.”
Before everyone loses their minds about boots on the ground, it appears that the deployment is primarily connected to air and naval capabilities, as Operation Epic Fury has been using ever since the beginning, as ABC News reported:
The 31st MEU is permanently deployed to Japan and operates in the INDO-PACOM region, but it is now being ordered to head to the Middle East.
Its deployment does not mean that the unit is going to be used as a ground force for use in Iran, but it offers land, amphibious and aviation assets that can be available to military commanders if needed.
This particular MEU also includes a squadron of F-35 fighter jets and a squadron of MV-22 tilt rotor Osprey aircraft.
Hellbound and Down 