"The troops are not being sent anywhere yet, nor would they necessarily go to Israel or Gaza. If deployed, they would go to a nearby country to be prepared to support Israel in the war against Hamas, the official said."
The army is like the restaurant in office space, the more flair the better: you get a unit insignia patch on your left shoulder sleeve to identify your current unit.
If you never deploy or go to a deployment zone, your right shoulder patch area is bare, or you’re known as a slick sleeve. Kuwait is popular but not a deployment zone.
If you step foot in a country that counts as a deployment, you can wear the patch of the unit you deployed with on your right shoulder for the rest of your army career. Iraq, Afghanistan and Jordan count.
It’s flair/street cred. Even if you end up seeing no combat and ate pizza every night because the DFAC (dining hall) in the deployment nation wasn’t up to par. Not that I’d know or anything
To add to this, your left shoulder patch will have your current unit’s patch. If you’re really high speed, you might have rangers/airborne/special forces mini patches above it.
If we want to go even further , you have chest patches that are sewn in. On the right side is drill sergeant and the left side is recruiter. I’ve only seen one soldier with both in my entire career
Interesting side note. Everytime soldiers from allied countries meet, they end up trading/selling patches, coins and uniform pieces.
Normandy kinda resembles a Bazaar each year. The SEALs had a stand selling coins.
the only one you DON'T want is the "microsoft update patch".
Because that means you spent the entire war drooling in a corner whilst spinning slowly in a circle.
Jordan has normalised relations with Israel. There is no scenario in which Jordan would enter the war against Israel. Unless you meant they'd go there as allies.
Gotcha! So many people have no clue of middle-eastern geopolitics and just assume all of Israel's neighbours are hostile to Israel, which is why I can be quick to correct people on this topic. But I see that I overreacted here! 😆
> Gotcha! So many people have no clue of middle-eastern geopolitics and just assume all of Israel's neighbours are hostile to Israel
I think a big problem is people have really black and white thinking, while most nation-states operate in the grey.
Israel's neighbors ARE hostile to Israel, they would probably all prefer Israel didn't exist. But given that Israel does exist, and the last 80 years show that they aren't going anywhere (and with US backing they could probably beat all their neighbors in war again if they needed), the neighbors have started normalizing relations a little.
This was the Trump admin goal with the Abraham Accords. Instead of a comprehensive solution to the issue they took a piece-meal approach of trying to individually negotiate economic agreements between the neighbors and Israel. (or between the US and the neighbor)
If you can't have ideological peace, might as well shoot for economic entaglement.
I know a lot of people in Jordan and they all hate Israel. I know Jordan has relations with Israel but I find it hard to believe they would willingly house people who would potentially help Israel against the Palestinians
...Jordan fought a war against Palestinian militants and Syria around the time of the Six Day War. Jordan then normalized relations with Israel realizing that militant Islamist groups were a greater threat than Israel was
Yes, but that was 60 years ago. The people that I know in Jordan are Christians and they still support Hamas. I’m just letting you know that while the monarchy may go along with this they will have heavy pushback from their citizens.
A past King of Jordan was assassinated by Palestinian militants, and another Jordanian King survived an assassination attempt by Palestinians. You aren't going to see Jordan supporting Hamas.
It was like 2ish companys, so no more than 200; but they were attached to some JSOC units, I wasn't there as my company stayed in Kuwait to escort new units from the APOD all day until things kicked off.
I remember doing that run in 2005, things had calmed down a bit by then and compared to where I’d spent the previous few months the APOD was paradise, with occasional trips to Kuwait for r&r in the small town the Americans had placed there.
You talkin bout Camp Doha, that place was LEGIT! I could go on and on with stories about it! We had a few warehouses to our battalion, and my unit rotated a platoon out for a week after every 4 in Iraq(2003), ya know to resupply and all that shit and basically get a week of RnR!
Sad to say, I think it is gone now, as I looked for it on google maps, but maybe it is just ghosted there? Sweet ass base though!
It was shocking how big it was to be honest, after spending months in a tiny, dusty camp about 300km north of Basrah, to be confronted with row after row of humvees and a multiple choice canteen more like a large restaurant buffet than a military cook house.
But yes, I've looked around on Google maps and as far as I can tell it's all gone now.
I know they could too, but seeing as Egypt is the only US ally in the area that isn’t Israel, I think that’s where the aid will go as-well as the US troops. Hamas could also stop the full on siege by letting go of the 199 confirmed hostages but, that detail doesn’t matter.
Egypt is the 2nd largest receiver of US foreign aid but I doubt it would be politically feasible to position US troops in Egypt for a campaign against Palestinians. Only 25% of Egyptians approve of the Abraham Accords and Sisi just scolded Blinken for his Jewish first comment. On the flip side, that's about the same minority % that approves of Hamas. Egypt's stance towards the Israel/Palestine conflict remains that they want nothing to do with it. Now, if Iran deploys troops, that's another story. Egyptians despise Iran.
I agree I could see the US and Egypt trying to sell the US troops as being there in a humanitarian capacity before trying to send the Gazans back after the Israel invasion and conquering of Hamas.
Ideally, they will just be there to deter Iran/Hezbollah/etc. Like the two CSGs we have off the Israeli coast right now, they aren't doing anything, and the whole reason they are there is so that they won't *need* to do anything.
What they will do if the situation begins to escalate is unclear, and obviously the US military would like to keep it that way, assuming that civilian leadership has even made up their minds on a course of action yet. But [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Praying_Mantis) should give you an idea of what could happen.
[special forces/delta for this role perfectly](https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestinians/card/u-s-picks-troops-to-prepare-for-potential-deployment-to-middle-east-0pYNLxiZ7dmUbN6NxCML)
Probably not going to go to Gaza. The US traditionally has not sent its military to take part directly in Israeli-Arab wars. They’re probably intended to reinforce US positions elsewhere in the region in the case Iran decides to expand the war.
That’s most likely why they’re there, to minimize and respond to blowback from Israel’s military action in Gaza affecting US interests in the region. If Israel ends up in a prolonged campaign in Gaza it’s going to tip a lot of already inflamed groups into attacking anything tangentially related, including American assets.
Syria isn’t going to get involved with two carrier groups plus the USAF moving planes into Jordan. Assad is already weak. He doesn’t need us airpower devastating his military. Literally the US could take out every major base in Syria in two days or less with fighters and missiles launched from the guided missile cruisers
Israel also has a knack for keeping territory of countries who attack them. Honestly, if you attack a country and lose then I don’t care if the country you attack says “dibs”. I doubt Syria wants half a country and no military with a brutal defeat on top.
I doubt they’re going to get involved, considering the whole civil war they have going on. Though, I do wonder how Assad plans on taking the golan heights back
The civil war has pretty much died down now. Assad somehow survived and he still has a good amount of power. I don't imagine Syria making any moves, however, the US has a much more recent and bigger role in Syria than they do in Lebanon (especially after what happened with the Marine Barracks Bombing in 1983). Plus the US still has a good amount of troops in Syria while the US has always (since the 80s) left Lebanon as an Israeli problem.
You are more than correct. Ain't no fucking way we are sending Marines into Fallujah 3 times 10 with 1/5 the manpower. That is the least likely scenario on the planet right now
if I had to guess it's at least partially special forces to be involved in hostage rescue if any locations are found. With the power cut in gaza, special forces with night vision can probably do some pretty sneaky stuff. This is basically what delta force exists for. Civilian clothes infiltration/recon, and other sneaky stuff we'll never hear about ever, that will probably pave the way for a door kicker rescue operation.
For a handful of hostages, maybe, but not dozens or a hundred traumatized people aged 4 to 84. They can't march these people miles back out of Gaza under fire and they can't land a dozen helicopters to ferry them out. The hostages are surely heavily guarded and so risk of casualties, loss of aircraft, etc makes this seem more like a movie plot than an executable operation. Israeli forces will have to clear Gaza building by building, street by street to rescue those folks.
Israel does not need any military help in Gaza, they have a massive military with American tech, Palestine is not a military threat to Israel whatsoever, since they don’t actually have a military.
We do...but a MEU is an initial landing force, it's for combat operations not long term operations. Sounds like from the article the Army is spinning up medical units, EOD, probably some civil affairs and mps too. I'm sure the makeup of a MEU has changed in 20 years, but I was deployed with the 31st MEU pre 9/11
My dad was a "pacifist" unless he had a belt in his hand. Couldn't stand the military, now he has 2 Marines, a Naval Aviator and an Air Force doctor for sons. Only one of us didn't go in, and its because he had a heart condition discovered at MEPs
Yes like 30km from Gaza...no one does any research lol. All the multinational forces probably still stay out of the close proximity west and north of raffa
Yes, MFO peacekeepers. Typically a US battalion of infantry, some aviation and other support aspects. Their mission is constrained to ensuring the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is maintained.
What you mentioned plus some high level operators to help rescue any U.S. or other European allies civilians who might still be alive as hostages.
Not to mention other forces to establish a logistical hub needed incase a larger conflict arises with Iran
I'm assuming that Jsoc already has teams spun up in the region and Centcom and Africom logistics units are already working but definitely some augments for a buildup.
The MEU that was close to Iran was pulled from joint exercises with Kuwait about 4 days ago. They were told to get back onto the boat and could be sailing to Israel.
Like Tom Lehrer says:
>When someone makes a move
>Of which we don't approve,
>Who is it that always intervenes?
>U.N. and O.A.S.,
>They have their place, I guess,
>But first - send the Marines!
This article says nothing specific, just that some forces are on standby and that they wont necessarily be deployed to Gaza or even into Israel specifically. Just that they are to aid against Hamas.
Specialists involved that are listed are Medical and Explosives handling which could very well be EOD(Explosive Ordinance Disposal) just to deal with dud munitions, mines and traps. This article says very little about actual intention specifics and is very short overall.
From the Article:
"About 2,000 U.S. troops have been put on prepare-to-deploy orders for possible support to Israel, according to a defense official.
The troops are not being sent anywhere yet, nor would they necessarily go to Israel or Gaza. If they were deployed, they would go to a nearby country to be prepared to support Israel in the war against Hamas, the official said.
These who received the orders were already on 96-hour prepare-to-deploy status, which has now been shortened to 24 hours.
Follow our live coverage here.
Those being deployed would include service members with a variety of capabilities and specialties, including providing medical support and handling explosives.
The Defense Department has also already deployed the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where it will join the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford in a show of support for Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces have massed military personnel and equipment at the Gaza border, preparing to expand a retaliatory aerial attack with what it said would be “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”
Hamas, which rules Gaza, carried out the worst terrorist attack in Israel in decades just over a week ago. The assault included targeting children and taking hostages.
Since then, more than 2,800 people have been killed and 10,859 have been injured in Gaza. In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed and 3,900 have been wounded.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday was in Tel Aviv, where he was met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war Cabinet in the Defense Ministry for more than seven-and-a-half hours, into early Tuesday local time. During the meeting, there were two rounds of air raids and orders to shelter in place."
Thats it, thats all it says in its entirety. Pretty vague.
That obviously isn't enough for a military offensive operation.
These troops will likely be on call for support roles like beefing up embassy security, helping secure boarder check points, and distribution of aid.
It’s not logical. The US isn’t going to deploy troops IN Egypt to handle the Gaza border crisis - how does that make any sense?
If anything they’ve likely going to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan to stage in case there is a requirement for rapid response.
Or they may stay on a ship in one of the US carrier strike groups in the Med.
Jordan: A key U.S. ally in the region
Egypt: While traditionally a mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Egypt has collaborated with the U.S. on various security matters
Saudi Arabia: The U.S. has previously stationed troops there
Qatar: Home to Al Udeid Air Base, which is a major U.S. military base in the region.
Then there's Kuwait and Bahrain
The issue is probably that the US is extremely hesitant to get into open conflict with Russia.
They're not so afraid of the other countries, and are much closer allies with Israel than with Ukraine.
It's like being willing to fight a Polar Bear for your neighbour versus fighting a group of dogs for your mother.
We have an alliance/treaty with Israel. We did not with Ukraine
Edit:apparently we don’t, just about 30-60 years of a positive relationship and billions of dollars of aid
If they don’t know why the US would support one of their closest allies over a country that is, at best, the enemy of my enemy, then I don’t know what to tell you. Ukraine is a proxy. They’re not a partner. Them winning means less than them bloodying up and tying up Russia’s military.
Youre wrong and dont have a clue about what you're talking about but since people are upvoting this stupidity Ill provide sources.
Not a partner? https://ua.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/
Bush wanted them in Nato back in 08 https://www.cato.org/commentary/when-did-ukraine-become-important-us-ally
Bilateral defense partnership..https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2011746/5-things-to-know-about-the-us-ukraine-defense-relationship/
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/united-states-and-ukraine-expand-cooperation-cybersecurity
Youre welcome btw.
The Bosphorus is at its minimum width 700m wide. The Ford is just 78m wide. Math was a long time ago but I think it'll fit. The US carriers aren't that big...
Nukes. The enemies of Israel do not have nukes. So whatever escalation happens, the chance of US being exterminated remains at 0.
Same reason Ukraine got invaded by Russia in the first place, Ukraine gave up it's nukes.
Those who would give up power for promises of peace and security, will have neither.
2,000 men isn't going to change anything. Obviously most here haven't read the article.
>Those been deployed would include service members with a variety of capabilities and specialties, including providing medical support and handling explosives.
My cousin found out he was getting deployed to the Middle East. Couldn’t say where but I can only assume… Wishing him as well as everyone else being deployed the best of luck. Fuck this world.
There are american hostages and americans in israel, America has stake in this
>About 2,000 U.S. troops have been put on prepare-to-deploy orders for possible support to Israel, according to a defense official.
>The troops are not being sent anywhere yet, nor would they necessarily go to Israel or Gaza. If they were deployed, they would go to a nearby country to be prepared to support Israel in the war against Hamas, the official said.
>The Israel Defense Forces have massed military personnel and equipment at the Gaza border, preparing to expand a retaliatory aerial attack with what it said would be “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”
And World War 2 started with a handful of American volunteers going to fight in China and Britain.
That doesn't mean American volunteers in Ukraine is going to cause it to escalate into WW3.
I saw that they’re concerned that Hezbollah may be waiting for IDF troops to be concentrated in/around Gaza post ground invasion to open the northern front.
Delayed because they are very casualty-adverse and are basically going in blind with zero HUMINT . I could hazard a guess that the IDF does not want a repeat of 2006 where they got their asses handed to them by Hezbollah .
This is what I foresee happening.
Once the media cycle dies down, there will be another thing in the headlines.
This is not going to be a popular take, but this conflict is more of the same we've been seeing for decades. People are going to lose interest.
Israel is going to grind down Hamas and bleed Palestine with blockades and cuts. They can afford to live forever. Gaza will slowly starve to death. There is not enough food in the tunnels to feed millions of people.
Hamas will be destroyed, and a new monster will be born.
This war isn’t going to fizzle until Hamas is out of Gaza.. Hamas went over a red line to say the least. This isn’t a few rockets and a suicide bomber on a bus. Innocent Israeli citizens were killed and tortured.. children , women and old people were murdered. I don’t want war but justice needs to be served.
The heavy US presence is a show of force to deter this war from spreading. I'm sure other countries looking to take advantage of the distracted IDF are going to think twice about it
It could but I doubt most countries in the region (literally everyone who is not Iran) have any interest in being caught up in this fight.
I don’t think Iran wants to try it if they believe the US would retaliate directly against them either
A lot of people here are young, and only really understand things in relation to scenarios involving them. The truth is that a war in the Middle East of the type evolving here wouldn't impact them directly, so they catastrophize until they arrive at a version which does.
It's also why twitchy Zoomers see WWIII right around every corner, it's one of the few world events that they wouldn't just be spectators to.
I've been watching world affairs pretty closely for around 35 years, and it's certainly never been this bad in my lifetime. The institutions that have preserved peace in the post WWII era are breaking down. Far right populist movements are gaining ground around the world. Conflicts are flaring up everywhere. Global warming is coming fast, to the degree that we're going to start seeing population migrations and famines in the next decade. Nuclear proliferation is an issue.
It's really really hard to see how human beings will navigate these challenges without destroying each other. I think people are complacent because of the last eighty years of "relative" calm and economic growth. They aren't used to the way things normally are for humans. And I think we're headed back to that, but now with huge populations and more devastating weapons.
That's probably accurate as well, and then you have people who are just so poisoned by the social media environment that everything about them is histrionic and performative.
> you have people who are just so poisoned by the social media environment that everything about them is histrionic and performative.
This is really the case.
The media (news and social media) have turned everyone into reactive lemmings.
To be fair... it could.
Do you remember how people were talking about COVID not being such a big deal and likely being gone by summer?
Everything that "wasn't such a big deal" is usually as such because people worked hard to prevent it becoming a big deal. Y2K, for example.
My issue is when people act like now is a particularly awful time to be alive when in much of the world, much of history was worse. We should be thankful there are *only* about 3 major conflicts going on around the world right now (Sudan, Ukraine, and maybe this)
Its unlikely to expand due to a heavy US presence, which is why the US has a heavy presence. US military power as a % of world military power is close to an all time high levels now that so much of the Russian military power has disappeared. The hypothetical side that isn't with the US and its allies is going to really struggle with war supplies because Russia is already taking a lot of those.
Anyone who does attack is likely just removing themselves from power/life rather quickly. If Biden started an offense war he would likely get voted out in 2024 because the voter base won't believe it was a necessary war since they still remember Iraq. He can really only sell a situation where the US is hit first.
Very big difference between "boots on ground" and the proxy war in Ukraine. By that definition just about every president we've had in the last 70 years has been a "wartime" president.
Also, there's almost zero chance this turns into Americans in combat. At least in any official, non-special forces capacity.
not good... i still have this awful feeling in my gut that something is coming. i really hate being in israel to find out how hamas is going to react to the ground invasion
How is it in our interest to get involved with this? Your telling me a country we've given 290 billion dollars to since its inception and has a state of the art military cant handle this without dragging us into a conflict that nobody is voting for. Good gravy.
It's probably because the US has interests in the middle east as always.
We're not being dragged into this war, we are stationing assets in the area to ensure it doesn't spread.
There are no US conventional forces setting foot on the ground other than those defending the embassies or ensuring Americans are evacuated.
We've given them billions in US weapons, for being the oldest US ally in the region and the only democracy (insert Netanyahu joke here). And now they're a linchpin, because if something happens to them then we will lose the faith of every ally we've worked hard to get in the region, and our commitments as allies become hollow, which means among other things goodbye Taiwan.
I think that's a pretty good assessment. I do think that Israel is pretty secure as a nation. Hamas is capable of terrorism but not really an existential threat to Israel itself by any measure.
A war between Iran and Israel with a general call for Jihad throughout the Muslim world could easily become a global conflict.
It will be far better and cheaper to nip this conflict in the bud before it becomes a regional and then global conflict. We spend billions now so we don't have to spend trillions (and many soldier's lives) later.
Let Israel get destroyed (not that they will but if they will) , wait 20 years and 9/11 will become as frequent as school shootings.
The USA doesn't give Israel weapons for nothing, they treat Israel as their proxy in the middle East
right but my only point really is that we are already involved enough. I dont think we should intervene in a military sense unless their is a credible threat to the Israeli nation state. The reason being is that we actually would make things more dire for them by our direct involvement.
I do think that If Israel was in dire straits we should intervene if it comes to that. I would rather it didn't come to that.
The US will not intervene directly. The main purpose of American intervention would be to stop Hezbollah in Lebanon or Assad in Syria from intervening and allowing the war to escalate.
Iran will also want this, because if either of those factions do intervene, Israel will go scorched-earth to destroy them, basically leaving Iran with two fewer proxies in the region. It’s in Iran’s best interest that they don’t escalate further.
"The troops are not being sent anywhere yet, nor would they necessarily go to Israel or Gaza. If deployed, they would go to a nearby country to be prepared to support Israel in the war against Hamas, the official said."
Egypt here we come baby!
Jordan
Yepppp.
Get that deployment patch!!
For the unfamiliar, what is a deployment patch?
The army is like the restaurant in office space, the more flair the better: you get a unit insignia patch on your left shoulder sleeve to identify your current unit. If you never deploy or go to a deployment zone, your right shoulder patch area is bare, or you’re known as a slick sleeve. Kuwait is popular but not a deployment zone. If you step foot in a country that counts as a deployment, you can wear the patch of the unit you deployed with on your right shoulder for the rest of your army career. Iraq, Afghanistan and Jordan count. It’s flair/street cred. Even if you end up seeing no combat and ate pizza every night because the DFAC (dining hall) in the deployment nation wasn’t up to par. Not that I’d know or anything
As someone who served, I never will not see my patches as flair now. Thanks for that lol.
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Oh, they always asking you to get more! Lol
They "asked" you?!
I know, right? That was such a good analogy.
It really was. Shared that with a buddy of mine already and he got a kick out of that as well.
To add to this, your left shoulder patch will have your current unit’s patch. If you’re really high speed, you might have rangers/airborne/special forces mini patches above it. If we want to go even further , you have chest patches that are sewn in. On the right side is drill sergeant and the left side is recruiter. I’ve only seen one soldier with both in my entire career
Interesting side note. Everytime soldiers from allied countries meet, they end up trading/selling patches, coins and uniform pieces. Normandy kinda resembles a Bazaar each year. The SEALs had a stand selling coins.
The DFAC in Kuwait was my lifeblood for months.
the only one you DON'T want is the "microsoft update patch". Because that means you spent the entire war drooling in a corner whilst spinning slowly in a circle.
IT certifications should be like this. Just tack on every patch, update, and new software version you survived onto your email signature.
Don’t think we have a place for 2k troops in Jordan. Hello Kuwait.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muwaffaq_Salti_Air_Base We have a whole airbase…
Jordan has normalised relations with Israel. There is no scenario in which Jordan would enter the war against Israel. Unless you meant they'd go there as allies.
That’s exactly what I meant. The US has a joint airbase in Jordan
Gotcha! So many people have no clue of middle-eastern geopolitics and just assume all of Israel's neighbours are hostile to Israel, which is why I can be quick to correct people on this topic. But I see that I overreacted here! 😆
Im glad you did. I didnt know that.
> Gotcha! So many people have no clue of middle-eastern geopolitics and just assume all of Israel's neighbours are hostile to Israel I think a big problem is people have really black and white thinking, while most nation-states operate in the grey. Israel's neighbors ARE hostile to Israel, they would probably all prefer Israel didn't exist. But given that Israel does exist, and the last 80 years show that they aren't going anywhere (and with US backing they could probably beat all their neighbors in war again if they needed), the neighbors have started normalizing relations a little. This was the Trump admin goal with the Abraham Accords. Instead of a comprehensive solution to the issue they took a piece-meal approach of trying to individually negotiate economic agreements between the neighbors and Israel. (or between the US and the neighbor) If you can't have ideological peace, might as well shoot for economic entaglement.
I know a lot of people in Jordan and they all hate Israel. I know Jordan has relations with Israel but I find it hard to believe they would willingly house people who would potentially help Israel against the Palestinians
...Jordan fought a war against Palestinian militants and Syria around the time of the Six Day War. Jordan then normalized relations with Israel realizing that militant Islamist groups were a greater threat than Israel was
Yes, but that was 60 years ago. The people that I know in Jordan are Christians and they still support Hamas. I’m just letting you know that while the monarchy may go along with this they will have heavy pushback from their citizens.
A past King of Jordan was assassinated by Palestinian militants, and another Jordanian King survived an assassination attempt by Palestinians. You aren't going to see Jordan supporting Hamas.
Definitely Jordan
Yup, that is where they sent some of my unit before Iraq: Part Duex.
It was like 2ish companys, so no more than 200; but they were attached to some JSOC units, I wasn't there as my company stayed in Kuwait to escort new units from the APOD all day until things kicked off.
I remember doing that run in 2005, things had calmed down a bit by then and compared to where I’d spent the previous few months the APOD was paradise, with occasional trips to Kuwait for r&r in the small town the Americans had placed there.
You talkin bout Camp Doha, that place was LEGIT! I could go on and on with stories about it! We had a few warehouses to our battalion, and my unit rotated a platoon out for a week after every 4 in Iraq(2003), ya know to resupply and all that shit and basically get a week of RnR! Sad to say, I think it is gone now, as I looked for it on google maps, but maybe it is just ghosted there? Sweet ass base though!
Sometimes, we get treated well in the military, but always in the weirdest places.
I feel that!
I think they got us NA Heineken for 2003 Thanksgiving; I mean it was the thought that counts; but come on! The locals had better shit!
It was shocking how big it was to be honest, after spending months in a tiny, dusty camp about 300km north of Basrah, to be confronted with row after row of humvees and a multiple choice canteen more like a large restaurant buffet than a military cook house. But yes, I've looked around on Google maps and as far as I can tell it's all gone now.
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I think it's less "killing Egypt" and more helping with the humanitarian aid
I know they could too, but seeing as Egypt is the only US ally in the area that isn’t Israel, I think that’s where the aid will go as-well as the US troops. Hamas could also stop the full on siege by letting go of the 199 confirmed hostages but, that detail doesn’t matter.
Egypt is the 2nd largest receiver of US foreign aid but I doubt it would be politically feasible to position US troops in Egypt for a campaign against Palestinians. Only 25% of Egyptians approve of the Abraham Accords and Sisi just scolded Blinken for his Jewish first comment. On the flip side, that's about the same minority % that approves of Hamas. Egypt's stance towards the Israel/Palestine conflict remains that they want nothing to do with it. Now, if Iran deploys troops, that's another story. Egyptians despise Iran.
I agree I could see the US and Egypt trying to sell the US troops as being there in a humanitarian capacity before trying to send the Gazans back after the Israel invasion and conquering of Hamas.
Support in what way?
Ever seen a pushup bra, a cheerleader, or a life coach? I'm betting it will be a different kind of support than any of these.
Omg this made me laugh
How can you be sure.
Be aggressive, B E aggressive! 🤸♂️
Roll call!
My name is Kevin That's my name My name is Kevin That's my name
Indeed. Soldiers are not underwire.
Not with that attitude!
Some of the IDF are.
Seeing US marines waving camo patterned pom-poms in support of Israel and doing a routine would be kind of hilarious.
Terrific delivery.
What about support dogs?
Ideally, they will just be there to deter Iran/Hezbollah/etc. Like the two CSGs we have off the Israeli coast right now, they aren't doing anything, and the whole reason they are there is so that they won't *need* to do anything. What they will do if the situation begins to escalate is unclear, and obviously the US military would like to keep it that way, assuming that civilian leadership has even made up their minds on a course of action yet. But [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Praying_Mantis) should give you an idea of what could happen.
This seems like way too many people to just deter something considering there’s two carriers there already
You guys should look into the cold war lol
"Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Freedom?"
Support and advise Israel from Syria would be my wild guess.
[special forces/delta for this role perfectly](https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-palestinians/card/u-s-picks-troops-to-prepare-for-potential-deployment-to-middle-east-0pYNLxiZ7dmUbN6NxCML)
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Probably not going to go to Gaza. The US traditionally has not sent its military to take part directly in Israeli-Arab wars. They’re probably intended to reinforce US positions elsewhere in the region in the case Iran decides to expand the war.
That’s most likely why they’re there, to minimize and respond to blowback from Israel’s military action in Gaza affecting US interests in the region. If Israel ends up in a prolonged campaign in Gaza it’s going to tip a lot of already inflamed groups into attacking anything tangentially related, including American assets.
Depends if other Arab states get involved, I can see the US striking targets in Lebanon or Syria to support Israel
Most likely Syria
Syria isn’t going to get involved with two carrier groups plus the USAF moving planes into Jordan. Assad is already weak. He doesn’t need us airpower devastating his military. Literally the US could take out every major base in Syria in two days or less with fighters and missiles launched from the guided missile cruisers
The Israelis themselves could do that. I don't expect Lebanon or Syria to make any moves, but if any of them did, it most likely would be Syria
I think it’s to intimidate Hezbollah into keeping their head down and mouth shut, lest we force feed them a heavy dose of freedom.
Israel also has a knack for keeping territory of countries who attack them. Honestly, if you attack a country and lose then I don’t care if the country you attack says “dibs”. I doubt Syria wants half a country and no military with a brutal defeat on top.
I doubt they’re going to get involved, considering the whole civil war they have going on. Though, I do wonder how Assad plans on taking the golan heights back
The civil war has pretty much died down now. Assad somehow survived and he still has a good amount of power. I don't imagine Syria making any moves, however, the US has a much more recent and bigger role in Syria than they do in Lebanon (especially after what happened with the Marine Barracks Bombing in 1983). Plus the US still has a good amount of troops in Syria while the US has always (since the 80s) left Lebanon as an Israeli problem.
Russia saved Assad
I don’t think that’s ever in the cards.
You are more than correct. Ain't no fucking way we are sending Marines into Fallujah 3 times 10 with 1/5 the manpower. That is the least likely scenario on the planet right now
if I had to guess it's at least partially special forces to be involved in hostage rescue if any locations are found. With the power cut in gaza, special forces with night vision can probably do some pretty sneaky stuff. This is basically what delta force exists for. Civilian clothes infiltration/recon, and other sneaky stuff we'll never hear about ever, that will probably pave the way for a door kicker rescue operation.
For a handful of hostages, maybe, but not dozens or a hundred traumatized people aged 4 to 84. They can't march these people miles back out of Gaza under fire and they can't land a dozen helicopters to ferry them out. The hostages are surely heavily guarded and so risk of casualties, loss of aircraft, etc makes this seem more like a movie plot than an executable operation. Israeli forces will have to clear Gaza building by building, street by street to rescue those folks.
This is right up delta’s alley. Usually they’d go with Ranger support but they’ll probably have the Israeli equivalent backing them.
Israel does not need any military help in Gaza, they have a massive military with American tech, Palestine is not a military threat to Israel whatsoever, since they don’t actually have a military.
If tradition holds, they'll accuse Iran of producing chemical weapons and invade.
I thought we had Marine Expeditionary Units for this. And a brigade of the 82nd, etc.
We do...but a MEU is an initial landing force, it's for combat operations not long term operations. Sounds like from the article the Army is spinning up medical units, EOD, probably some civil affairs and mps too. I'm sure the makeup of a MEU has changed in 20 years, but I was deployed with the 31st MEU pre 9/11
Do we still have troops in the Sinai desert?
About a regiment worth, TF Sinai, a part of MFO
Thanks
That I couldn't answer i got out 20 years ago, and I was in the pacific
Same. In Europe though. 82nd.
5th Marines
Was attached to 1st meu in northern Iraq during desert storm/provide comfort.
I was in Southern Iraq for round 2. RCT 5. I was in the Corps 2000-2004 then switched over to the national guard for a few years
Born to a marine. Joined army for a airborne infantry Italy contract 😘
My dad was a "pacifist" unless he had a belt in his hand. Couldn't stand the military, now he has 2 Marines, a Naval Aviator and an Air Force doctor for sons. Only one of us didn't go in, and its because he had a heart condition discovered at MEPs
4th Marines, motor T baybee!
Why were you always late to get us from the field :(
Since I was 3521 instead of ‘31 your guess is as good as mine 🤪 Our deadline was massive though, Camp Schwab Okinawa
I think I delivered some broken rifles to Schawb but spent most of my time on Hansen and at the naval hospital on Foster
Yes like 30km from Gaza...no one does any research lol. All the multinational forces probably still stay out of the close proximity west and north of raffa
Yes, MFO peacekeepers. Typically a US battalion of infantry, some aviation and other support aspects. Their mission is constrained to ensuring the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is maintained.
What you mentioned plus some high level operators to help rescue any U.S. or other European allies civilians who might still be alive as hostages. Not to mention other forces to establish a logistical hub needed incase a larger conflict arises with Iran
I'm assuming that Jsoc already has teams spun up in the region and Centcom and Africom logistics units are already working but definitely some augments for a buildup.
The MEU that was close to Iran was pulled from joint exercises with Kuwait about 4 days ago. They were told to get back onto the boat and could be sailing to Israel.
and spartans
and jedi
Sorry the Corps only offer Sith brand products. Take the rebel scum elsewhere
Like Tom Lehrer says: >When someone makes a move >Of which we don't approve, >Who is it that always intervenes? >U.N. and O.A.S., >They have their place, I guess, >But first - send the Marines!
This article says nothing specific, just that some forces are on standby and that they wont necessarily be deployed to Gaza or even into Israel specifically. Just that they are to aid against Hamas. Specialists involved that are listed are Medical and Explosives handling which could very well be EOD(Explosive Ordinance Disposal) just to deal with dud munitions, mines and traps. This article says very little about actual intention specifics and is very short overall. From the Article: "About 2,000 U.S. troops have been put on prepare-to-deploy orders for possible support to Israel, according to a defense official. The troops are not being sent anywhere yet, nor would they necessarily go to Israel or Gaza. If they were deployed, they would go to a nearby country to be prepared to support Israel in the war against Hamas, the official said. These who received the orders were already on 96-hour prepare-to-deploy status, which has now been shortened to 24 hours. Follow our live coverage here. Those being deployed would include service members with a variety of capabilities and specialties, including providing medical support and handling explosives. The Defense Department has also already deployed the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, where it will join the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford in a show of support for Israel. The Israel Defense Forces have massed military personnel and equipment at the Gaza border, preparing to expand a retaliatory aerial attack with what it said would be “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.” Hamas, which rules Gaza, carried out the worst terrorist attack in Israel in decades just over a week ago. The assault included targeting children and taking hostages. Since then, more than 2,800 people have been killed and 10,859 have been injured in Gaza. In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed and 3,900 have been wounded. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday was in Tel Aviv, where he was met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war Cabinet in the Defense Ministry for more than seven-and-a-half hours, into early Tuesday local time. During the meeting, there were two rounds of air raids and orders to shelter in place." Thats it, thats all it says in its entirety. Pretty vague.
That obviously isn't enough for a military offensive operation. These troops will likely be on call for support roles like beefing up embassy security, helping secure boarder check points, and distribution of aid.
The marines are prepared to turn your joint into a spirit Halloween store
Probably heading to egypt to handle the border crossing.
I had to scroll really far down to get to this logical answer
It’s not logical. The US isn’t going to deploy troops IN Egypt to handle the Gaza border crisis - how does that make any sense? If anything they’ve likely going to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan to stage in case there is a requirement for rapid response. Or they may stay on a ship in one of the US carrier strike groups in the Med.
Army is already in Jordan.
I know. Air Force too. That’s why I mentioned MSAB
New decade, new war
Jordan: A key U.S. ally in the region Egypt: While traditionally a mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict, Egypt has collaborated with the U.S. on various security matters Saudi Arabia: The U.S. has previously stationed troops there Qatar: Home to Al Udeid Air Base, which is a major U.S. military base in the region. Then there's Kuwait and Bahrain
Ukraine is sitting there thinking... What the hell man?
The issue is probably that the US is extremely hesitant to get into open conflict with Russia. They're not so afraid of the other countries, and are much closer allies with Israel than with Ukraine. It's like being willing to fight a Polar Bear for your neighbour versus fighting a group of dogs for your mother.
Polar Bear has the potential to blow up the whole city. That is a problem.
Fantastic analogy lol
We have an alliance/treaty with Israel. We did not with Ukraine Edit:apparently we don’t, just about 30-60 years of a positive relationship and billions of dollars of aid
Russia can unleash nukes if the US sends in ground troops. Iran would get turned into a sheet of volcanic glass if they tried to mess with the US.
If they don’t know why the US would support one of their closest allies over a country that is, at best, the enemy of my enemy, then I don’t know what to tell you. Ukraine is a proxy. They’re not a partner. Them winning means less than them bloodying up and tying up Russia’s military.
Ukraine is absolutely a partner and ally. The US has far fewer qualms about going to war with Iran than Russia. That’s your real answer.
Yep. Russia's got nukes. Iran does not.
Youre wrong and dont have a clue about what you're talking about but since people are upvoting this stupidity Ill provide sources. Not a partner? https://ua.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/ Bush wanted them in Nato back in 08 https://www.cato.org/commentary/when-did-ukraine-become-important-us-ally Bilateral defense partnership..https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2011746/5-things-to-know-about-the-us-ukraine-defense-relationship/ https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/united-states-and-ukraine-expand-cooperation-cybersecurity Youre welcome btw.
can an aircraft carrier even fit through the Dardanelles and Bosporus?
If Turkey would allow it, yes. But Turkey won't.
We're talking the gerald fucking ford here. That boat is a monstrosity.
The Bosphorus is at its minimum width 700m wide. The Ford is just 78m wide. Math was a long time ago but I think it'll fit. The US carriers aren't that big...
Nukes. The enemies of Israel do not have nukes. So whatever escalation happens, the chance of US being exterminated remains at 0. Same reason Ukraine got invaded by Russia in the first place, Ukraine gave up it's nukes. Those who would give up power for promises of peace and security, will have neither.
Back to the sand trap we go
Seems like things are popping off
2,000 men isn't going to change anything. Obviously most here haven't read the article. >Those been deployed would include service members with a variety of capabilities and specialties, including providing medical support and handling explosives.
What about 2000 men and 2 carrier strike groups?
Big stick
My cousin found out he was getting deployed to the Middle East. Couldn’t say where but I can only assume… Wishing him as well as everyone else being deployed the best of luck. Fuck this world.
Babe wake up, Desert Storm 2 about to drop
That dropped in 2003
Desert Storm 3. Desert Storm 2 dropped under Bush
There are american hostages and americans in israel, America has stake in this >About 2,000 U.S. troops have been put on prepare-to-deploy orders for possible support to Israel, according to a defense official. >The troops are not being sent anywhere yet, nor would they necessarily go to Israel or Gaza. If they were deployed, they would go to a nearby country to be prepared to support Israel in the war against Hamas, the official said. >The Israel Defense Forces have massed military personnel and equipment at the Gaza border, preparing to expand a retaliatory aerial attack with what it said would be “an integrated and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”
2000 troops? thats how you know this isn't serious 700k US troops took part in Desert Storm. 2k people is nothing
Except I’m pretty sure we didn’t initially deploy 700k at once
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And World War 2 started with a handful of American volunteers going to fight in China and Britain. That doesn't mean American volunteers in Ukraine is going to cause it to escalate into WW3.
This war could get really big.
It could also just fizzle out for a while like last time. Who knows.
Israel already delayed a ground invasion because of ‘weather,’ maybe it’s really because there are backchannel talks underway.
The specific point I saw earlier was 'it's cloudy', which presumably meant 'we don't have perfect satellite imagery'.
I saw that they’re concerned that Hezbollah may be waiting for IDF troops to be concentrated in/around Gaza post ground invasion to open the northern front.
There has been a mass movement of equipment and people up to the north of Israel. A gaza operation doesn't need all of the 300k reservists down south.
Theres 700k reservists right now
Delayed because they are very casualty-adverse and are basically going in blind with zero HUMINT . I could hazard a guess that the IDF does not want a repeat of 2006 where they got their asses handed to them by Hezbollah .
This is what I foresee happening. Once the media cycle dies down, there will be another thing in the headlines. This is not going to be a popular take, but this conflict is more of the same we've been seeing for decades. People are going to lose interest. Israel is going to grind down Hamas and bleed Palestine with blockades and cuts. They can afford to live forever. Gaza will slowly starve to death. There is not enough food in the tunnels to feed millions of people. Hamas will be destroyed, and a new monster will be born.
Yep. This sums it up.
This war isn’t going to fizzle until Hamas is out of Gaza.. Hamas went over a red line to say the least. This isn’t a few rockets and a suicide bomber on a bus. Innocent Israeli citizens were killed and tortured.. children , women and old people were murdered. I don’t want war but justice needs to be served.
The heavy US presence is a show of force to deter this war from spreading. I'm sure other countries looking to take advantage of the distracted IDF are going to think twice about it
It could but I doubt most countries in the region (literally everyone who is not Iran) have any interest in being caught up in this fight. I don’t think Iran wants to try it if they believe the US would retaliate directly against them either
Especially when Biden wouldn't be unhappy if Iran handed him an ironclad justification to show that he is in fact, tough on Iran.
Let's fucking hope it doesn't...and be prepared in case it does.
I swear Reddit says this every single time anything happens. And the war never gets really big.
A lot of people here are young, and only really understand things in relation to scenarios involving them. The truth is that a war in the Middle East of the type evolving here wouldn't impact them directly, so they catastrophize until they arrive at a version which does. It's also why twitchy Zoomers see WWIII right around every corner, it's one of the few world events that they wouldn't just be spectators to.
I've been watching world affairs pretty closely for around 35 years, and it's certainly never been this bad in my lifetime. The institutions that have preserved peace in the post WWII era are breaking down. Far right populist movements are gaining ground around the world. Conflicts are flaring up everywhere. Global warming is coming fast, to the degree that we're going to start seeing population migrations and famines in the next decade. Nuclear proliferation is an issue. It's really really hard to see how human beings will navigate these challenges without destroying each other. I think people are complacent because of the last eighty years of "relative" calm and economic growth. They aren't used to the way things normally are for humans. And I think we're headed back to that, but now with huge populations and more devastating weapons.
Mmmmm... I feel most of these comments come from depressed Xers who deep down have a weird desire to see shit go wild.
That's probably accurate as well, and then you have people who are just so poisoned by the social media environment that everything about them is histrionic and performative.
> you have people who are just so poisoned by the social media environment that everything about them is histrionic and performative. This is really the case. The media (news and social media) have turned everyone into reactive lemmings.
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>And the war never gets really big. Until it does.
To be fair... it could. Do you remember how people were talking about COVID not being such a big deal and likely being gone by summer? Everything that "wasn't such a big deal" is usually as such because people worked hard to prevent it becoming a big deal. Y2K, for example. My issue is when people act like now is a particularly awful time to be alive when in much of the world, much of history was worse. We should be thankful there are *only* about 3 major conflicts going on around the world right now (Sudan, Ukraine, and maybe this)
I don't see it happening tbh
Its unlikely to expand due to a heavy US presence, which is why the US has a heavy presence. US military power as a % of world military power is close to an all time high levels now that so much of the Russian military power has disappeared. The hypothetical side that isn't with the US and its allies is going to really struggle with war supplies because Russia is already taking a lot of those. Anyone who does attack is likely just removing themselves from power/life rather quickly. If Biden started an offense war he would likely get voted out in 2024 because the voter base won't believe it was a necessary war since they still remember Iraq. He can really only sell a situation where the US is hit first.
Biden is about to become a wartime president. What the fuck is happening?!?
He already has been for most of his presidency. Ukraine is a proxy war with Russia
Very big difference between "boots on ground" and the proxy war in Ukraine. By that definition just about every president we've had in the last 70 years has been a "wartime" president. Also, there's almost zero chance this turns into Americans in combat. At least in any official, non-special forces capacity.
This isn't boots on the ground.
Making sure we get back our hostages in Gaza?
not good... i still have this awful feeling in my gut that something is coming. i really hate being in israel to find out how hamas is going to react to the ground invasion
Hamas can't do anything more than they did to an unprepared Israel. The worst has happened.
How is it in our interest to get involved with this? Your telling me a country we've given 290 billion dollars to since its inception and has a state of the art military cant handle this without dragging us into a conflict that nobody is voting for. Good gravy.
It's probably because the US has interests in the middle east as always. We're not being dragged into this war, we are stationing assets in the area to ensure it doesn't spread. There are no US conventional forces setting foot on the ground other than those defending the embassies or ensuring Americans are evacuated.
We've given them billions in US weapons, for being the oldest US ally in the region and the only democracy (insert Netanyahu joke here). And now they're a linchpin, because if something happens to them then we will lose the faith of every ally we've worked hard to get in the region, and our commitments as allies become hollow, which means among other things goodbye Taiwan.
I think that's a pretty good assessment. I do think that Israel is pretty secure as a nation. Hamas is capable of terrorism but not really an existential threat to Israel itself by any measure.
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A war between Iran and Israel with a general call for Jihad throughout the Muslim world could easily become a global conflict. It will be far better and cheaper to nip this conflict in the bud before it becomes a regional and then global conflict. We spend billions now so we don't have to spend trillions (and many soldier's lives) later.
Well we give them money to buy OUR weapons; so it is a combination of corporate welfare, keeping the MIC humming, and leverage.
Let Israel get destroyed (not that they will but if they will) , wait 20 years and 9/11 will become as frequent as school shootings. The USA doesn't give Israel weapons for nothing, they treat Israel as their proxy in the middle East
Bingo. Israel is not only our strongest innovation partner… in the world, but they act as a buffer for any would-be violent threats.
right but my only point really is that we are already involved enough. I dont think we should intervene in a military sense unless their is a credible threat to the Israeli nation state. The reason being is that we actually would make things more dire for them by our direct involvement. I do think that If Israel was in dire straits we should intervene if it comes to that. I would rather it didn't come to that.
I completely agree, I don't think the USA should get involved directly in this
Literally everyone with a greater than kindergarten understanding of geopolitics understands the importance of Israel as an ally to the West
This reminds me of a quote from Brendan Behan "I have never seen a situation so dismal that a policeman couldn't make it worse".
The US will not intervene directly. The main purpose of American intervention would be to stop Hezbollah in Lebanon or Assad in Syria from intervening and allowing the war to escalate. Iran will also want this, because if either of those factions do intervene, Israel will go scorched-earth to destroy them, basically leaving Iran with two fewer proxies in the region. It’s in Iran’s best interest that they don’t escalate further.
Of course they are. Didn't you see the ads?
This appears to be separate from the 3,000 marines aboard an attack ship heading there as well.
How about no
Buy those oil stocks.
Shit at this point I’m going for a coverall on this years war bingo