US extends Middle East deployments into 2027 as Iran conflict drags on

WASHINGTON: The United States is extending the deployment of thousands of American troops and military assets across the Middle East into 2027, signalling Washington is preparing for a prolonged conflict with Iran. The deployment extensions, ordered by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, will affect US Army units, air-defence forces, fighter squadrons and Navy personnel operating in and around the Middle East, according to The Wall Street Journal. The US military currently has roughly 50,000 troops in the region. Quoting from a letter sent by military leaders to soldiers’ families, The Journal reported that elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, one of the US military’s principal rapid-response forces, could remain in the region well into 2027. “We do not share that lightly, and we understand that a longer tour weighs heavily on every household, including our own,” the letter said. The extensions represent a significant shift from expectations at the beginning of the US campaign against Iran. Hegseth had presented the operation as a swift and decisive military action. Six months into the conflict, however, the Pentagon is preparing for deployments lasting a year or longer. Army