{"id":38235,"date":"2020-01-03T17:51:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T17:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/03\/thousands-more-paratroopers-are-preparing-to-head-to-mideast\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:12:21","slug":"thousands-more-paratroopers-are-preparing-to-head-to-mideast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/01\/03\/thousands-more-paratroopers-are-preparing-to-head-to-mideast\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands more paratroopers are preparing to head to Mideast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 82nd Airborne Division<\/a> is preparing to deploy thousands more paratroopers to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran, a military official told Army Times on background<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this week, 750 paratroopers<\/a> from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, deployed to the region after protesters set fire to a reception building on the compound of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The rest of the brigade is currently preparing to deploy, the military official said, and they expect to broadcast the decision Saturday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deployments will occur over the next week as the paratroopers prepare to posture in Kuwait. A small element will go to Baghdad to provide force protection to the diplomatic mission there. The rest of the paratroopers will act as a response force to regional threats. There are roughly 4,000 soldiers in a brigade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deployment comes following a Thursday night U.S. airstrike that killed a key Iranian commander in Iraq. The mission is also important for the 82nd Airborne Division as it implements for the first time changes in how it deploys paratroopers during emergency situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new deployment model, called the Immediate Response Force, emphasizes joint operations and brings more air assets, cyber capabilities and logistical support to paratroopers, according to a primer for the new model viewed by Army Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new plan replaces the Global Response Force model that the division previously utilized, but appears to more heavily emphasize joint forcible entry operations and airborne assaults into denied environments, like that which Iran can produce through air defense systems and cyber attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\t