Pentagon Considers Deploying Marine Regiment to Middle East as Israel-Hamas War Rages (Exclusive)

The Defense Department is considering deploying additional U.S. Marines to the Middle East — potentially adding to the substantial American military assets sent to the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

The Pentagon is weighing whether to send “prepare to deploy” orders to a Marine regiment, multiple U.S. military sources told The Messenger. 

If activated, the troops would need to be ready to deploy within 72 hours of receiving the notice, the U.S. military officials said, who asked not to be named due to Defense Department media regulations.

While a final decision has not been made, defense officials have discussed tapping Sixth Marine Regiment with the potential deployment, according to U.S. military sources. The regiment, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, oversees four ground infantry battalions. 

It's unclear how many Marines from the regiment would deploy to the region, what their assignment would be or where they would be based if activated by the Pentagon.

Contacted by The Messenger on Friday, the Pentagon referred questions to the U.S. Marine Corps, which referred back to the Pentagon, which then said, “We don’t have any troop movements to announce.”

The regiment consideration is separate from the prepare to deploy orders issued to 2,000 Defense Department personnel last month. Those orders were issued to a variety of individuals that could serve in advising and support roles in the Middle East but not in direct combat operations. 

In general, a Marine regiment comprises three infantry battalions, with roughly 2,000 combined troops. A Marine regiment can be integrated with other assets like artillery and reconnaissance units to form what’s known as a Regimental Combat Team, surging the number of troops by thousands. 

Elements of the regiment are already positioned in the region in the Red Sea. First Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment is assigned to a specialized Marine Expeditionary Unit capable of undertaking special operations — including the evacuation of U.S. citizens from a conflict zone.

The Marine Expeditionary Unit is equipped with multiple helicopters and boats used for landings on beachheads. It is made up of about 4,000 Marines and sailors spread across three U.S. Navy ships, including the U.S.S. Bataan.

Elements of the Marine Expeditionary Unit ended exercises in Kuwait early and moved closer to Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel. 

If deployed, the troops from the Marine Regiment could join the more than 15,000 U.S. military personnel dispatched to the region — including two aircraft carrier strike groups — following Israel’s declaration of war against Hamas.

The buildup of U.S. forces is already one of the biggest since the end of the Iraq War in 2011 and is fueled by concerns among U.S. officials that the war between Israel and Hamas may trigger a wider regional conflict. 

John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said the deployment of additional Marines would give the Pentagon more tools in the region.

“Additional U.S. military forces could be deployed to the Middle East not only for deterrence but also contingency planning which can range from non-combat evacuation operations to direct action missions,” Spencer said.

He added: “Combatant Commands want forces pre-positioned so they are  immediately available for a wide range of contingencies they believe are possible or likely.” 

Over the past month, U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East have been attacked more than sixty times in Iraq and Syria. 

The latest attack occurred on Friday in Syria, resulting in minor injuries to U.S. personnel, according to Voice of America. Another attack also occurred in Iraq but details were unknown.

Pentagon officials have largely characterized these attacks as unsuccessful with American service members sustaining minor injuries. However, others have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. 

Separately, five U.S. Army aviation special operations forces were killed on Saturday when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea “during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training,” according to U.S. European Command.