U.S. to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, officials say –Pentagon also sending amphibious assault ship to region | 20 March 2026 | The U.S. military is deploying thousands more Marines to the Middle East, officials told Reuters on Friday, as President Donald Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance ​to send forces to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Three U.S. officials told Reuters the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, ​along with its Marine Expeditionary Unit of about 2,500 Marines and accompanying warships would deploy to the region, although they did not say what their role would be. Two officials said there had been no decision on whether to send troops into Iran itself, but this week, a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter told Reuters U.S. troops could potentially land on Iran’s coast or Kharg Island oil export hub.