In Reply to: News for Thor's Day. (Lots of thunder)* posted by mh on September 03, 2026 at 09:58:08
Pentagon leaders have delivered unwelcome news to the families of soldiers deployed to the Middle East.
The Defense Department is quietly extending troop deployments for another year – or longer – amid a six-month-old U.S. military campaign against Iran, even though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised a quick, decisive operation when it began, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Elements of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division could remain in the Middle East "well into 2027," according to a letter sent by military leaders to soldiers' families and viewed by the Journal.
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"We do not share that lightly, and we understand that a longer tour weighs heavily on every household, including our own," the letter states.
The 82nd Airborne isn't alone in facing longer tours. Army air defense units — tasked with shooting down Iranian missiles and drones — have seen their standard deployment window stretch from nine months to a full year, one person familiar with the matter told the Journal. Some units slated for postings in Europe or the Pacific have already spent more than a year in the Middle East instead.