The U.S. is sent about 3,500 amore soldiers from Fort Bragg, N.C., to the Middle East to protect American installations, bases and interests after Iran threaten to retaliate for the Thursday drone strike that killed one of its top generals.
The troops are from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division Global Response Force brigade. The brigade is specialized to have its first units deploy within 18 hours in response to any threat and have the full complement of forces deploy within 96 hours.
Iran’s leader on Friday pledged retaliation against U.S. interests for the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, leader of the Quds Force, which has been responsible for escalating attacks against U.S. facilities and personnel in Iraq, as well as the deaths of hundreds of U.S. service members during the Iraq War.
The forces will be based in Kuwait but will be able to pivot to many of the high-tension areas in the region where the U.S. has had to defend against threats from Iranian threats, such as the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian forces have targeted container ships.