Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a U.S. Central Command request to deploy an element of an Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, three U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal. A senior U.S. official separately confirmed the order to Axios on Friday, as Iran continues a sustained campaign of attacks against oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Two of the officials cited by the Journal confirmed the deployment centers on USS Tripoli (LHA 7), the America-class amphibious assault ship. The senior official told Axios the move will add thousands of Marines, several warships, and F-35B fighter jets to support forces already operating in the Middle East.
Tripoli has been conducting operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed expeditionary unit, based out of Okinawa, Japan.
The Tripoli Expeditionary Strike Group (TESG) is composed of USS Tripoli (LHA 7); the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62); and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115). The surface combatant escorts carry Aegis air defense systems and are capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles on demand.
The America-class amphibious assault ship, USS Tripoli (LHA-7), conducts group sail during Exercise Iron Fist in the Indo-Pacific, March 1, 2026.
Iron Fist strengthens interoperability between the United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force,… pic.twitter.com/L8qfDheofi
— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) March 6, 2026
The 31st MEU fields roughly 2,200 Marines and sailors organized as a Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
The Aviation Combat Element is organized around a reinforced Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron, augmented by detachments of heavy-lift, utility, attack, and fixed-wing aircraft. The composite air element includes MV-22B Osprey tiltrotors, CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopters, AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters, and F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters drawn from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the “Green Knights.”
The unit is designated Special Operations Capable. The senior official told Axios the MEU retains the ability to conduct ground operations if ordered, though declined to comment on that possibility.
Dominance on the high seas. #ICYMI: Marines with the 31st MEU hone warfighting skills with a gun shoot aboard USS New Orleans while underway in the Philippine Sea. #US7thFleet | #BlueGreenTeam pic.twitter.com/TlC5EO1W5s
— 7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) March 11, 2026
USS Tripoli also differs from traditional amphibious assault ships in that it was built without a well deck, trading surface assault capability for an enlarged flight deck and expanded aviation support. The design allows the ship to operate a significantly larger fixed-wing complement than well-deck-equipped predecessors.
The deployment adds to a U.S. military buildup that officials describe as the largest American naval force assembled in the Middle East in decades. More than 30 warships are now operating in the area as part of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing U.S. air and naval campaign against Iran, including two aircraft carrier strike groups.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that U.S. and allied forces achieved air and sea dominance over Iran within six days of the campaign’s launch. The total target count across the campaign exceeded 6,000 as of March 12.
