The Pentagon is sending more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the Middle East aboard three warships.
Filip Timotija reports the move is part of a Navy buildup that is ramping up in the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) theater. The USS Makin Island, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, is the flagship of the amphibious readiness group. It was spotted leaving San Diego on Monday.
Developing, unverified: the excerpt we have includes no Pentagon statement, no stated mission, and no timeline for arrival.
The direction of travel is up, not down. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, as relayed in a post on X, that the Pentagon is preparing to send a third aircraft carrier strike group and additional Marine Corps ships. The Journal's estimate is 9,000 to 10,000 added troops. That is the Journal's account, and we have not seen its full story.
The two reports use different numbers. Neither source says how the 4,000-plus figure fits into the larger one, so we won't guess.
The Journal also says the buildup comes as President Donald Trump considers resuming strikes on Iran after the midterm elections. That is the paper's claim, not a confirmed decision.
So the Journal's version is that strikes are on the table after the midterms. The Makin Island is already out of San Diego.