Trump weighing deployment of part of 82nd Airborne Division to Middle East

Published March 24, 2026 3:34pm ET



The Trump administration is considering whether to deploy a combat team from the 82nd Airborne Division’s quick reaction team, as questions grow about whether President Donald Trump will approve a ground operation in Iran.

No final orders have been issued to the airborne’s Immediate Response Force, a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers, according to the New York Times. The soldiers train to parachute into hostile territory to secure airfields and land, and are meant to be deployable anywhere in the world within 24 hours.

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