Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Six months after the US launched its military campaign against Iran, what was supposed to be a limited and decisive campaign is now turning into a much longer conflict. According to The Wall Street Journal, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is extending troop deployments into 2027, which compels American servicemembers to endure longer tours and putting more pressure on the military.
In order to keep military options open for President Donald Trump, around 50,000 US troops are still deployed across the Middle East, while warships, fighter squadrons, air-defence units and paratroopers remain involved in missions linked to the conflict and the increasingly tense situation around the Strait of Hormuz.
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US MILITARY BRACES FOR A LONGER WAR
The extended deployments are already being felt by troops and their families, while the strain is beginning to show across the military’s equipment and maintenance schedules. Army air-defence units that previously served nine-month rotations are now being kept in the region for as long as 12 months, according to the report.
Some units that had been scheduled for posts in Europe and the Pacific have already spent more than a year in the Middle East, adding to concerns about how long servicemembers can maintain the current pace of operations.
The pressure is also building inside the Navy. The US currently has 19 warships operating in Middle Eastern waters, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided-missile destroyers, according to a Navy official cited in the report. Some destroyer crews that would normally have regular periods away from the region are instead spending several months at sea at a stretch.
NAVY CREWS FACE LONGER TOURS AT SEA
The conflict has already produced some of the longest US Navy deployments in recent decades. The USS Gerald R. Ford spent 11 months at sea before returning home in May, making it the longest-deployed American aircraft carrier since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is also heading home after another extended deployment, having dropped anchor in Thailand, with difficult conditions placing additional pressure on servicemembers.
The crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt is preparing for an unusually long deployment as well. Navy officials have indicated that the carrier could be sent to the Middle East, although its final destination has not been announced. If it is assigned to Iran-related operations, it could remain in the region well into next spring.
For sailors and Marines, the logistical situation has made life at sea even harder. Fighting has disrupted normal Navy resupply operations in the Middle East, forcing ships to rely heavily on Diego Garcia, the remote US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean.
That has meant fewer opportunities for sailors to receive mail and care packages or spend time away from their ships, according to the report. The extended distances and long deployments could also leave the Navy facing a significant maintenance burden later.
US KEEPS ESCALATION OPTIONS OPEN
While the US military maintains its presence, Trump has increasingly relied on economic pressure in an effort to push Tehran towards negotiations. Behind the scenes, however, the US President has also been reportedly discussing with senior aides whether the war should be declared over.
Trump has told aides that he believes continued economic pressure could eventually force Iran to dismantle its nuclear programme or lead to the collapse of its government.
“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” Trump wrote on social media. “They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”
At the same time, the Pentagon has been keeping more aggressive military options available. Trump was briefed last month on possibilities that included stepped-up airstrikes, deploying ground forces to seize Iranian islands near Hormuz and attacking a fortified site known as Pickaxe Mountain, which could potentially be used for covert nuclear work.
Such operations would require a substantial military commitment, making the decision to keep forces in the region longer especially important.
US DOUBLES DOWN ON IRAN
Bryan Clark, a former senior US Navy official and now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the deployment pattern suggests Washington is preparing for a sustained campaign rather than a short intervention. The consequences are also reaching individual military families. A letter sent to families indicated that elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division could remain in the Middle East well into 2027.
The Pentagon has declined to discuss specific deployment plans, citing operational considerations, while the White House has pointed to Trump’s public comments on the conflict.
For now, Trump is keeping the possibility of further military action firmly on the table as Iran continues to retaliate against US strikes across the region.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that US forces would remain ready to launch additional strikes “any time we want”, following the latest confrontation over Iran’s attempts to lay new mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has yet to achieve the goals he set when he launched Operation Epic Fury in February: ending Iran’s nuclear programme, limiting its ability to strike neighbouring countries and creating conditions for Iranians to challenge and potentially bring down the country’s leadership.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
