Boots on the ground? Abrupt cancellation of major training exercise sparks speculation of US sending troops into Iran

As the US-Iran conflict enters its second week, there are growing speculations that the Donald Trump administration could soon send ground troops into the Middle East. The US Department of Defence has abruptly canceled a major training exercise of the elite 82nd Airborne Division’s headquarters element at Fort Liberty, The Washington Post reported.

82nd Airborne Division

The 82nd Airborne Division includes a brigade combat team of approximately 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers capable of deploying on 18 hours' notice. Its missions include seizing airfields and other critical infrastructure, reinforcing US embassies and enabling emergency evacuations.

The report added that, while no deployment orders had been issued as of Friday, officials said the Army is expected to announce a previously scheduled Middle East deployment for a helicopter unit with the 82nd, soon.

Operation Epic Fury

The US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on February 28. In the opening hours of Operation Epic Fury, the US and Israel managed to eliminate the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with some of his family members and top leaders of the Iranian government and IRGC.

Ayatollah eliminated, regime survives

In the days that followed, the US continued to pound Iran with airstrikes, inflicting significant damage to its arsenal and naval fleet. But, despite the initial shock over the killing of Khamenei, the regime has survived and the IRGC has vowed to continue fighting and hurt US interests in the region.

Can US force regime change without boots on ground?

Though Trump has insisted that nothing short of an unconditional surrender by Iran would end the US attacks, many pointed out that regime change may not be possible without putting US boots on the ground.

Trump one to US troop deployment in Iran

Trump has been a long-standing critic of the US’s forever wars and repeatedly said that he will not put US boots on the ground in global conflicts.

However, in the past few days, Trump seems to have changed his position, and he recently told the New York Post that he is not ruling out the use of ground troops in Iran.

“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,” he said.

On Saturday, NBC News reported that Trump has privately expressed a serious interest in deploying US troops on the ground in Iran.

Trump has discussed the idea of deploying ground troops with aides and Republican officials outside the White House, a source told NBC News.

What will US deployment in Iran look like?

The ground troops deployed, however, would not be a large one, two people familiar with the discussions said.

Instead, Trump is eying the deployment of a small contingent of US troops that would be used for specific strategic purposes.

Six US service personnel have been killed in the first week of the war, and the deployment of ground troops could risk the lives of more American soldiers in a crucial mid-term election year.

Can US rely on Kurdish group for ground operation?

There are also reports that the US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, are working with Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish militant groups to launch a ground operation.

Reports also said that the Kurdish groups, who are opposed to the Iranian regime, could also be used to instigate another popular uprising in Iran, which, contrary to the US expectations following the airstrikes, hasn't happened at scale yet.