Pentagon reportedly preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran

The Pentagon is putting together plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran as U.S. forces amass in the region, the Washington Post reported .

Citing multiple U.S. officials, the Post report suggested ground operations could involve both conventional infantry and special operations elements, but would not yet rise to the level of a full-scale invasion.

Decisions on whether or not to green light operations, which would put U.S. troops at substantially more risk to Iranian threats, now rest with President Donald Trump.

“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander in chief maximum optionality,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement provided to Military Times. “It does not mean the president has made a decision.”

The Post’s report comes as U.S. military assets continue to flood the region. On Friday, U.S. Marines and sailors assigned to the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group arrived in U.S. Central Command waters.

The group, which is led by the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and includes the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit , departed earlier this month from its homeport of Sasebo, Japan.

The Pentagon has also confirmed elements from the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters and a brigade combat team are slated to deploy to the Middle East. Based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd acts as the Army’s rapid-response force and is often among the first units sent to respond to emerging crises.

The report also comes on the heels of an Iranian missile and drone attack on Friday that injured a dozen U.S. service members at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia. Two of the 12 injuries are considered to be serious.

The strike also reportedly damaged multiple U.S. aircraft, including an E-3 Sentry AWACS and multiple KC-135 tankers.

Thirteen service members have been killed in action and nearly 300 wounded during Operation Epic Fury, a joint undertaking by U.S. and Israeli militaries against the Islamic Republic that began on Feb. 28.

The majority of the wounded have since returned to duty, according to U.S. Central Command.

Prior to Friday’s attack, 10 U.S. troops remained in serious condition.

J.D. Simkins is Editor-in-Chief of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，随着美军在该地区集结，五角大楼正在制定在伊朗开展数周地面行动的计划。

《华盛顿邮报》援引多位美国官员的话报道称，地面行动可能涉及常规步兵和特种作战部队，但还不会达到全面入侵的程度。

是否批准这些行动的决定权现在掌握在唐纳德·特朗普总统手中，这些行动将使美军面临伊朗威胁的更大风险。

白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特在提供给《军事时报》的一份声明中表示：“五角大楼的职责是做好准备，以便让三军统帅拥有最大的选择权。但这并不意味着总统已经做出了决定。”

《华盛顿邮报》的报道发布之际，美国军事力量正持续向该地区增派兵力。周五，隶属于的黎波里两栖戒备群的美国海军陆战队员和水兵抵达美国中央司令部辖区。

该舰队由美国级两栖攻击舰“的黎波里”号率领，舰上搭载了第31海军陆战队远征部队，于本月初从其母港日本佐世保出发。

五角大楼也已证实，第82空降师司令部的部分人员和一个旅级战斗队将部署到中东。第82空降师驻扎在北卡罗来纳州布拉格堡，是美国陆军的快速反应部队，通常是首批被派往应对突发危机的部队之一。

这份报告发布之际，正值伊朗周五对沙特阿拉伯苏丹王子空军基地发动导弹和无人机袭击，造成12名美军人员受伤。其中两人伤势严重。

据报道，此次袭击还损坏了多架美国飞机，包括一架 E-3 哨兵预警机和多架 KC-135 加油机。

在2月28日开始的美国和以色列军队联合对伊朗伊斯兰共和国发动的“史诗狂怒行动”中，已有13名军人在战斗中丧生，近300人受伤。

据美国中央司令部称，大多数伤员已经重返岗位。

在周五的袭击发生前，仍有 10 名美军士兵处于重伤状态。

JD Simkins 是《军事时报》和《防务新闻》的总编辑，也是参加过伊拉克战争的海军陆战队老兵。