Amid Hezbollah concerns, watch for any movement of 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
Tom Rogan
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A false alert suggested that the Lebanese Hezbollah had launched a wave of drones into Israel on Wednesday. At the same time, another false report suggested the U.S. Embassy in Beirut was being evacuated.
These incidents illustrate the concern that Hezbollah may open a northern front to Israel’s war with Hamas. A concern that underlines why the United States has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group off the Lebanese coast. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group is also likely to arrive in the area within the next two to three weeks. Still, if Hezbollah does act at scale against Israel, or the U.S. has intelligence to suggest a coming Hezbollah or Iranian escalation, we can expect other military deployments to follow.
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We might see the surging of a third U.S. aircraft carrier under the Navy’s fleet readiness plan. But we’d also expect to see the deployment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to join the USS Gerald R. Ford. The 26th MEU just began a training exercise in Kuwait and is embarked aboard the USS Bataan-led amphibious ready group. The Biden administration recently considered deploying the 26th MEU’s Battalion Landing Team ground combat element — the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment — to guard civilian tankers.
Were the 26th MEU ordered to the Mediterranean, however, it would be a notable development. It would signal escalated U.S. contingency staging for a possible evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and/or ground combat operations along the Israel-Lebanon border. And while the White House might be reluctant to deploy the 26th MEU for fear of fueling an escalation dynamic, U.S. Central Command is already engaged in updated contingency planning.
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As part of that planning, CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla must ensure his readiness to effect a rapid, contested evacuation of Beirut or to conduct other operations inside Israel or Lebanon. With three special operations-capable rifle companies and a more heavily armed, light mechanized weapons company, the 26th MEU’s Battalion Landing Team would be invaluable in any such scenario. The MEU also comes with a number of helicopters and Osprey transport aircraft. Moreover, it is designed for crisis scenarios and is held at six hours readiness to deploy.
As of now, the 26th MEU remains in the Persian Gulf. But it will be a telltale sign of growing concern if the USS Bataan starts moving west.