He listed a number of military aims he claimed were close to being accomplished, including destroying Iran\u2019s military and nuclear capabilities. He said the Strait of Hormuz will \u201chave to be guarded and policed,\u201d but provided no timeline or information detailing the fate of service members recently dispatched to the hostilities. <\/p>\n
The Pentagon is sending three California-based warships<\/a> and roughly 2,500 Marines to the Middle East, the second significant deployment in a week, the Associated Press and other outlets reported Friday. <\/p>\n The three warships, the San Diego-based USS Boxer and two warships from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, departed from Camp Pendleton on Wednesday. <\/p>\n They were being deployed for \u201croutine training,\u201d according to official Pentagon statements, but defense officials told various news outlets that the final destination is the Middle East, where the U.S. military has amassed about 50,000 troops in total.<\/p>\n A 2,500-strong Marine unit accompanied by the USS Tripoli warship launched from Japan on Saturday.<\/p>\n The Pentagon declined to comment on the deployments: \u201cDue to operations security we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,\u201d a Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement Friday.<\/p>\n Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, front, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine arrive for a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington on Thursday.<\/p>\n (Mandel Ngan \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n The major reinforcement comes as the war\u2019s economic shock waves<\/a> are felt throughout the world as Washington signaled a protracted conflict. <\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed at a news conference Thursday that the Pentagon has requested another $200 billion from the White House to fund the war, as the U.S. national debt hit a record $39 trillion.<\/p>\n The supplemental spending will require congressional approval. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the request \u201cunacceptable for a war without a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo way,\u201d he said. \u201cThat will never happen. It is a preposterous and dangerous risk.\u201d <\/p>\n Increased troop presence in the region raises questions about the prospect of an American deployment on Iranian soil. Republican leaders in Congress have so far been noncommittal about the idea of holding formal votes to authorize an action.<\/p>\n Asked if the administration should get approval from Congress to send U.S. ground troops, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters this week that it would depend on the details of the mission they are asked to complete.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are completing the mission and it is a limited scope then that is not a declaration of war,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance), who is a member of the Air Force Reserves, called Johnson\u2019s response an example of \u201cthe emasculation of one branch of government in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n As of Friday, 13 U.S. service members have been killed and 232 have been injured in the Middle East since the start of the conflict, according to U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkin.<\/p>\n Marines perform a demonstration with helicopters and the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer on Oct. 18, 2025, at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.<\/p>\n (Gregory Bull \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n The amped up military spending and troop deployment come as Trump struggles to win allies to his proposed international coalition, which aims to send warships to secure vital shipping lanes and deter further attacks on energy infrastructure around the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n Trump on Thursday said that Iran \u201cis close to demolished,\u201d but that securing the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz remained a struggle. He suggested the U.S. was working to secure the strait not for its own oil needs, but \u201cjust to be nice\u201d to other countries that rely on oil from the region to a much larger degree than the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cThey complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don\u2019t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!\u201d Trump wrote<\/a> Friday on Truth Social. <\/p>\n On Friday, the U.K. agreed to allow the American military forces to use the British bases in operations \u201cto degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d ministers said in a written statement. <\/p>\n It came as Iran continued its sweeping attacks on Mideast energy facilities, in response to Israeli strikes Wednesday on Iran\u2019s South Pars field \u2014 the world\u2019s largest natural gas field. The fallout has dragged the gulf states into the war amid the largest energy supply disruption in history.<\/p>\n![\"Secretary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774052291_258_.jpeg\")
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