Cancellation of Army exercise fuels speculation about Mideast troop deployments [View all]

Source: msn/Washington Post

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The Army in recent days abruptly canceled a major training exercise for the headquarters element of an elite paratrooper unit, officials said, fueling speculation within the Defense Department that soldiers specializing in ground combat and a range of other missions may be sent to the Middle East as the conflict with Iran widens.

The 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina includes a brigade combat team of about 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers ready to deploy on 18 hours notice for missions as varied as seizing airfields and other critical infrastructure, reinforcing U.S. embassies and enabling emergency evacuations. Its headquarters element is responsible for coordinating how those operations are planned and executed. No deployment orders had been issued as of Friday, officials said, speaking like some others on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation.

They noted that the Army is expected to announce soon a previously scheduled Middle East deployment for a helicopter unit with the 82nd, but that won’t happen until later in the spring. Other soldiers with the 82nd continued training in Louisiana in recent days. But the unexpected change of plans for the headquarters staff — the unit was told to stay put in North Carolina instead of joining the training event at Fort Polk in Louisiana — and the 82nd’s high-profile role in past conflicts has heightened expectations that the division’s Immediate Response Force could be called upon.

“We’re all preparing for something — just in case,” said one official familiar with the issue. Army officials referred questions to the Pentagon, which issued a brief statement declining to provide details. “Due to operations security we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” the statement said. Officials with U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, declined to comment.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/cancellation-of-army-exercise-fuels-speculation-about-mideast-troop-deployments/ar-AA1XFDjn