Hundreds of U.S. soldiers have deployed from Fort Bragg to Kuwait to serve as reinforcements in the Middle East amid rising tensions following the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general.
Lt. Col. Mike Burns is a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division. He told The Associated Press that 3,500 members of the division’s quick-deployment brigade will have deployed within a few days.
This photo provided by the U.S. Army, paratroopers assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division walk as they prepare equipment and load aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. (Spc. Hubert Delany III/U.S. Army)
Paratroopers and equipment assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division loaded aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg on Saturday.
The wife of one soldier who recently deployed said that his departure was so abrupt she didn’t have the chance to say goodbye in person or by phone.
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Zachary Vandyke.
“This deployment is a precautionary action taken to respond to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities,” said Fort Bragg officials in a news release. “‘Devil’ Brigade is the nucleus of the U.S. Immediate Response Force, capable of rapidly deploying anywhere in the world in response to a variety of contingency operations.”
The soldiers are joining the 650 Fort Bragg paratroopers who were deployed New Year’s Day after the recent embassy attack in Baghdad.
This photo provided by the U.S. Army, two 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers rest before deploying to the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. (Master Sgt. Alexander Burnett/U.S. Army)
This photo provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force personnel load 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division equipment on C-17 Globemaster aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. (Spc. Justin Stafford/U.S. Army)
U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Hubert Delaney III.
Feature photo provided by the U.S. Army, paratroopers assigned to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division walk as they prepare equipment and load aircraft bound for the U.S. Central Command area of operations from Fort Bragg, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. (Spc. Hubert Delany III/U.S. Army)
This article was written with the help of The Associated Press.
