Fox News is reporting that the division commander and headquarters of the 82d Airborne Division have been ordered to deploy to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. Presumably, that battle staff would exercise command and control over ground elements tasked with opening the Strait of Hormuz. As of this writing, the 82d’s Division Ready Brigade has not been ordered deployed. The DRB, consisting of about 3,000 paratroopers, can be wheels up within 18 hours. Such an order is becoming increasingly likely.
Fox News has learned that the Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division Maj Gen Brandon Tegtmeier and his “command element,” members of his headquarters staff, have been ordered to deploy to the Middle East as the Pentagon and White House weigh whether to send the 82nd Airborne…
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) March 24, 2026
First, let’s take a look at the macro picture.
Allegedly, President Trump’s team is in contact with whoever is representing the Iranians today. From the description of discussions, it seems the two sides are farther apart now than when they started negotiations. Iran’s demands are:
Guarantees against future military action,
Compensation for wartime losses,
Formal control of the Strait of Hormuz, and
No limitations to its ballistic missile program
While Iran seems to have given ground on its nuclear missile program (see Breaking: Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Give Up Its Nuclear Weapons Fantasy – RedState), it is standing fast on its ballistic program. After what we’ve seen over the last month, the issue of ballistic missiles has a much higher profile than it did pre-war; see Latest Action Against U.S./U.K. Base Shows Trump Had Justifiable Concern About Iranian Threats – RedState. But a new demand has cropped up: ceding formal control of the Strait of Hormuz to Iran.
The Hormuz issue has roiled the world’s energy markets, and it is unlikely that we’d accept a situation in which Iran controls a waterway shared with other countries and can impose restrictions on who can use it.
Saturday, President Trump gave Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen Hormuz. That was blown off by the Iranians, and I’m sure the White House noticed it.
The USS Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group will be in the theater of operations on Friday; see Up to 2,500 Marines Are Headed to the Persian Gulf As Iranian Blockade of Hormuz Takes Center Stage – RedState.
The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, the amphibious landing dock USS New Orleans, and roughly 2,200 Marines from the 31st MEU will arrive in the Middle East on Friday -WSJ pic.twitter.com/AejG754onm
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 23, 2026
There is a significant flow of military transports from the U.S. to the Persian Gulf.
A significant movement is underway from US Army, Navy and Air Force bases in CONUS to the Middle East comprised of at least 35 C-17 flights since March 12th, with 11 more flights on the way.
Origins:
12-Hunter Army Air Field/Fort Stewart, GA
8-Unknown
7-JB Lewis-McChord, WA… pic.twitter.com/iqU9Wq3K3G— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) March 23, 2026
Pay attention to these locations, all of which have been the origin of military transports heading to the Persian Gulf.
Hunter Army Airfield is the home of the 1st Ranger Battalion. It is also a logical port of embarkation for the 3rd Ranger Battalion at Fort Benning. Joint Base Lewis-McChord is the home of the 2d Ranger Battalion. So the Ranger Regiment is probably en route to the CENTCOM AOR. Pope AFB serves the 82d, but since we know it hasn’t been alerted yet, we can assume that Delta Force has been along with the Air Force’s special operations squadron. The flights out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will be for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Naval Air Station Oceana would be the port of embarkation for Naval Special Warfare Development Group(NSWDG), also known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six.
There is a lot of talk about Kharg Island being the objective, but it is unlikely to be the primary target. To open Hormuz, a series of smaller islands and a strip of Iranian coastline need to be captured or disinfected.
Clearing Hormuz: the battlefield pic.twitter.com/TFFsHx2OBy
— streiff (@streiffredstate) March 18, 2026
The city of Bandar Abbas is the main Iranian naval base in the Hormuz region. Three islands, astride the eastern exit of the shipping channel, Abu Musa, Tunb as Sughra (Greater Tunb), and Tunb al Kubra (Lesser Tunb), were seized by Iran in 1971. The UAE still claims those islands, and most of the nations in the region recognize the UAE’s claim. A decision has been pending before the UN since 1980. All of the Iranian islands should be considered as military installations. They house small boats for mining operations, shipping attacks, and potentially anti-ship missiles. Abu Musa, in particular, is known to be heavily fortified.
Iranian anti-aircraft defenses have been worn down to the point where we are using A-10s and AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships to hunt down Iranian surface drones and minelaying capability; see BRRRRT in the Strait: A-10s Target IRGC Speedboats Amid Epic Fury Ops – RedState. This means that airborne and airmobile operations will be conducted in a permissive environment.
I think once Iranian resistance on Hormuz has been reduced Kharg Island is the cherry on the ice cream sundae. Not only will Iran have lost control of Hormuz, which the IRGC reportedly considers tantamount to losing the war, but they would have lost the ability to sell oil without our permission.
If the DRB of the 82d Airborne is told to move, look for a resolution very shortly. As we saw in Venezuela, once the pieces are in place, President Trump will probably pull the trigger.
For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration’s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
