A thousand troops from an Army unit known for its capacity to deploy within 18 hours and parachute into a war zone are headed to join the Iran war.
The Pentagon will deploy approximately 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team to the war, according to a defense official and a U.S. official. Some personnel from the division’s headquarters will also deploy to the Middle East, the officials said.
The thousand troops that make up the Army’s rapid-response unit are preparing to deploy as U.S. officials have provided Iran with a 15-point peace plan, which proposes to end the nearly monthlong war.
The New York Times first reported on March 23 that the Pentagon was considering deploying troops from a combat brigade unit of the 82nd Airborne Division.
The peace plan comes after President Donald Trump and Israel struck Iran on Feb. 28, killing the country’s longtime Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Over the past few weeks, White House officials said the war is necessary to eliminate the longstanding U.S. adversary’s ballistic missile program and a nuclear program that Trump administration members previously claimed to have “obliterated.”
As the unit prepares to deploy, here’s what to know about the 82nd Airborne Division.
The 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in joint forcible entry operations – high-stakes missions to seize a military hostile area. Known as the Army’s emergency response team, the division is capable of deploying within 18 hours and carrying out a parachute assault.
The 82nd Airborne Division was established in 1917 with members from each of what were then 48 states. Due to its widespread membership, the division acquired the nickname “All American,” the meaning behind the division’s popular “AA” patch.
Among the Army’s most quickly-deployable units, the division has participated in almost every major U.S. combat operation since the Vietnam War, from the invasion of Panama to the Iraq War.
The 82nd Airborne Division’s brigade combat teams are trained and equipped to deploy overseas quickly and conduct parachute assaults to enter territory by force.
The unit, some parts of which were formerly part of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, is nicknamed the “Devils in Baggy Pants,” according to the Army – a name given by Nazi forces during World War II.
The Army earlier this month announced that the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, another unit of the 82nd Airborne Division, would deploy to the Middle East as part of a scheduled rotation.
The 82nd Airborne Division has been deployed to the Middle East. As of March 25, details about where the unit will be sent had not been shared.
The 82nd Airborne Division is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, formerly Fort Liberty.
Contributing: Michael Loria, Bart Jansen, Christopher Cann and Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.