Pentagon reportedly sending more warships and Marines to Middle East

The U.S. is sending more reinforcements to the Middle East in support of the Iran war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly approved a request from U.S. Central Command for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine Expeditionary Unit to help combat Iran’s regional attacks, the Wall Street Journal first reported Friday.

The supplemental forces would include up to 5,000 personnel and several warships, including the USS Tripoli, which is on its way to the Middle East from its homeport in Sasebo, Japan, the report said.

The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group includes the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships USS New Orleans and USS San Diego and the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit .

The 31st MEU, meanwhile, includes a ground combat element, which features a battalion landing team — an infantry battalion and combat support elements — of around 1,100 Marines and sailors.

Also included is the aviation combat element, which features tiltrotor and fixed-wing aircraft, transport and attack helicopters, ground support assets and air defense teams.

A combat logistics battalion with equipment and personnel capable of sustaining a MEU in austere environments for up to 15 days will also join the effort. This group includes medical, supply and explosive ordnance personnel, among others.

Requests for comment from the Pentagon and CENTCOM were not returned as of press time. The Navy told Military Times it would not be commenting.

The deployment of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group comes less than a year after a Military Times report found the readiness rate of the Navy’s amphibious assault ships had dropped to just 41% amid the Trump administration’s ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The readiness issue at the time resulted in a more than five-month gap in MEU deployments.

Despite any strain, the U.S. continues to ramp up attacks on the Islamic Republic.

CENTCOM on Thursday said that American forces have struck roughly 6,000 targets inside Iran since the war began. More than 60 Iranian ships and over 30 minelayers have also been eliminated, CENTCOM announced.

Pentagon officials told senators in a classified briefing this week that the first six days of Operation Epic Fury cost American taxpayers an estimated $11.3 billion, according to a person familiar with the session.

The figure, however, omitted a range of war-related expenses, indicating the overall total is likely to rise.

An incident Thursday saw U.S. deaths in the Iran war nearly double after a U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed during ongoing combat operations .

All six crew members were killed in the crash, which was not caused by hostile or friendly fire, CENTCOM confirmed Friday. Two aircraft were reportedly involved in the incident, officials said, with the second aircraft landing safely.

A total of 13 U.S. service members have been killed during combat actions and roughly 140 more wounded — eight severely — across the opening two weeks of Operation Epic Fury.

Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.

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

美国正向中东增派更多兵力，以支持伊朗战争。

据《华尔街日报》周五报道，美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯已批准美国中央司令部提出的请求，派遣一支两栖戒备群和一支附属海军陆战队远征部队的一部分，以帮助打击伊朗在该地区发动的袭击。

报道称，增援部队将包括多达 5000 名人员和几艘军舰，其中包括“的黎波里”号两栖攻击舰，该舰正从其位于日本佐世保的母港前往中东。

的黎波里两栖戒备群包括美利坚级两栖攻击舰“的黎波里”号、圣安东尼奥级两栖船坞运输舰“新奥尔良”号和“圣地亚哥”号，以及搭载的第31海军陆战队远征部队。

与此同时，第 31 海军陆战队远征部队包括一个地面作战分队，该分队由一个营级登陆队、一个步兵营和作战支援分队组成，约有 1100 名海军陆战队员和水兵。

此外，还包括航空作战部队，其中包括倾转旋翼机和固定翼飞机、运输和攻击直升机、地面支援力量和防空部队。

一支配备齐全、人员精良的作战后勤营也将加入此次行动，该营能够为一支海军陆战队远征部队在艰苦环境下提供长达15天的后勤保障。该营人员包括医疗、后勤和爆炸物处理等部门的人员。

截至发稿时，五角大楼和中央司令部均未回复置评请求。海军方面告诉《军事时报》，他们不会对此事发表评论。

在的黎波里两栖戒备群的部署之前不到一年，《军事时报》的一份报告发现，在特朗普政府加大力度打击拉丁美洲和加勒比地区的贩毒集团之际，海军两栖攻击舰的战备率已降至仅 41%。

当时的战备问题导致海军陆战队远征部队部署出现超过五个月的空白期。

尽管面临种种压力，美国仍继续加大对伊斯兰共和国的打击力度。

美国中央司令部周四表示，自战争爆发以来，美军已对伊朗境内约6000个目标发动袭击。中央司令部还宣布，已摧毁60多艘伊朗舰船和30多艘布雷舰。

据一位熟悉会议情况的人士透露，五角大楼官员本周在向参议员们进行的一次机密简报会上表示，“史诗狂怒行动”的前六天估计花费了美国纳税人 113 亿美元。

然而，该数字遗漏了一系列与战争相关的开支，这意味着总金额可能会上升。

周四发生的一起事件导致美军在伊朗战争中的死亡人数几乎翻了一番，一架美国空军 KC-135 加油机在持续的战斗行动中坠毁。

美国中央司令部周五证实，机上六名机组人员全部遇难，事故并非由敌方或友军火力造成。据官员称，事故涉及两架飞机，其中第二架飞机安全着陆。

在“史诗狂怒行动”开始的两周内，共有 13 名美国军人在战斗中丧生，另有约 140 人受伤，其中 8 人伤势严重。

Riley Ceder 是《军事时报》的海军记者，他负责报道直接影响军人及其家属的问题以及突发新闻。

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。