Army extends 82nd Airborne Division’s Middle East deployment to a full year

Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division currently deployed to the Middle East will remain in the region into next year due to “operational requirements,” the Army announced.

The extended deployment was announced by division commander Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier in a letter to military families, thanking them for their support of the deployed troops. Task & Purpose reviewed the letter, dated Aug. 30 and shared to social media including the Army’s unofficial subreddit. The Army confirmed the authenticity of the letter. The division’s headquarters as well as members of artillery units, the sustainment brigade and air defense troops will be in the region for a full year, while paratroopers and the division’s combat aviation brigade have had their tours extended for up to a year.

“We now know that operational requirements will keep the Division Headquarters and elements of DIVARTY, ADSB, 3-4 ADA, and 307th Division Engineer Battalion forward for twelve total months,” Tegtmeier wrote. “Paratroopers of 1st BCT and the CAB will serve forward for up to twelve months in total as well. We do not share that lightly, and we understand that a longer tour weighs heavily on every household, including our own.”

Roughly 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division deployed to U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility in March. They were part of a surge in infantry forces into the region after the war started, alongside members of a Marine expeditionary unit. They were sent as the U.S. military refused to rule out ground operations against Iran, although that has yet to happen.

The extension of the division’s deployment comes as the war with Iran reaches six months, with more than 50,000 U.S. troops operating in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility. Units across the military have faced extended deployments, including aircraft carrier crews, such as the sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln who spent eight months at sea before being ordered home. 

The Iran war remains at an impasse, with negotiations stalled. Fighting restarted in July, following an agreement made in June. On Sunday, U.S. forces hit two Iranian rocket launch sites on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It was the first strike on Iranian territory since July 30. The Pentagon has ordered some new units in, such as the USS George Washington, sent to relieve the Lincoln. Since the war started on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. service members have died and more than 750 were wounded in action.