Tom Bowman

So the 82nd troops could grab that airfield and maybe wait for other troops there.

to come.

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It looks like elements of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, known as the Devil Brigade, will likely head out in the coming days.

And I'm hearing they'll first go to Kuwait.

And then the big question is, OK, where do they go from there?

And again, everyone's talking about this Karg Island.

That's Iran's main oil facility.

It's some 15 or so miles off the mainland.

It has an airport, so the 82nd troops could grab that airfield and maybe wait for other troops to come.

The idea seems to be if you take, let's say, Karg Island, it would shut off the Iranian oil, further cripple its economy, and put more pressure on the regime to negotiate.

You could also take even more territory from Iran on the mainland, setting up the option of providing naval escorts for oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

Of course, now the Iranians have closed the strait to almost all shipping.

That effort for the U.S.

to take control of the strait would require a massive effort of aircraft,

minesweepers and also destroyers to do that job.

Now we have this 31st Marine Extraordinary Unit out of Okinawa, 2,200 Marines heading to the Middle East.

Now, of course, no one is talking about what the mission is.

It could be, you know, helping evacuate embassies, humanitarian mission, or boarding ships.