US extends Middle East deployments into 2027 as Iran conflict drags on

WASHINGTON: The United States is extending the deployment of thousands of American troops and military assets across the Middle East into 2027, signalling Washington is preparing for a prolonged conflict with Iran. The deployment extensions, ordered by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, will affect US Army units, air-defence forces, fighter squadrons and Navy personnel operating in and around the Middle East, according to The Wall Street Journal . The US military currently has roughly 50,000 troops in the region.

Quoting from a letter sent by military leaders to soldiers’ families, The Journal reported that elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, one of the US military’s principal rapid-response forces, could remain in the region well into 2027. “We do not share that lightly, and we understand that a longer tour weighs heavily on every household, including our own,” the letter said. The extensions represent a significant shift from expectations at the beginning of the US campaign against Iran. Hegseth had presented the operation as a swift and decisive military action. Six months into the conflict, however, the Pentagon is preparing…