Trump deploys 5,000 Marines into Hormuz tinderbox as boots on the ground fears grow | 13 March 2026 | Donald Trump has deployed thousands of U.S. Marines to the Strait of Hormuz amid mounting fears that America is set to put troops on the ground as the world’s oil supply is strangled. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth approved a request by U.S. Central Command for the deployment of a Marine expeditionary unit, typically including several warships and 5,000 troops, three officials told the Wall Street Journal. The Japan-based USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, and its attached Marines are now headed for the Middle East, where they join other servicemen already in the fight, the officials said.