In my recent article — Boots on the Ground in Iran… A Deception or a Suicide Mission? — I was shocked by the lack of OPSEC (aka Operational Security) surrounding the deployment of the 31st and 11th MEUs (Marine Expeditionary Unit). Then there was the news that the 82nd Airborne had cancelled an upcoming exercise and also were being deployed to the Persian Gulf as well. Why advertise that you are sending an amphibious force and an airborne unit to the Persian Gulf with the ostensible mission of breaking Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz? I speculated that publicizing the movement of these units could be a deception operation, i.e., getting the Iranians to focus on the Marines and the 82nd while ignoring other troop movements that will be the ones actually inserted on the ground. Based on Donald Trump’s statements today, coupled with new information provided by OSINT Defender and The Intel Frog , it appears that Trump has ordered a ground operation inside Iran that could begin as early as Friday.
Early on Monday morning, March 23, 2026 , President Donald Trump announced via a Truth Social post (in all caps) that the United States and Iran had engaged in “ very good and productive conversations ” over the previous two days regarding “a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”
He stated that, based on the “in-depth, detailed, and constructive” nature of these talks (which he said would continue throughout the week), he had instructed the Department of Defense (“Department of War”) to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period , subject to the success of the ongoing discussions.
As a result of this announcement the Dow Jones surged $1,000 in the opening minutes of the stock market and the price of oil futures fell. Happy days… Only one little problem: It is a lie. Trump’s claim boosted the Dow Jones and cooled oil prices, but it was firmly denied by Iran.
The Iranian government wasted no time in denying Trump’s claim. Iran has zero interest in working out a negotiated settlement to the war on terms demanded by Trump. There is strong circumstantial evidence that Trump — once again — is trying to lull the Iranians into a state of complacency before launching a new attack… This one will be on the ground.
The first clue came from Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period . Why five-days? The 31st MEU will be in place in the Arabian Sea, ready for action. I want to remind you that the MEU received its deployment order on March 13… Remember that date. I then learned late on Monday that Trump cancelled his appearance at CPAC this weekend and that he will not attend a fundraiser at Mar a Lago on Friday night for The Palm Beach Ray of Hope Foundation , which is hosting Dancing with the Palm Beach Stars. Looks like he will be otherwise occupied starting Friday.
Then I saw this X-post by the IntelFrog :
A significant movement is underway from US Army, Navy and Air Force bases in CONUS to the Middle East comprised of at least 35 C-17 flights since March 12th , with 11 more flights on the way.
Origins: 12-Hunter Army Air Field/Fort Stewart, GA 8-Unknown 7-JB Lewis-McChord, WA 6-Pope Army Air Field/Fort Bragg, NC 4-Campbell Army Airfield/Fort Campbell, KY 4-Gray Army Airfield/JB Lewis-McChord, WA 4-Naval Air Station Oceana, VA 1-MacDill AFB, FL 1-JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ Destinations: 17-Ovda Air Base, Israel 13-King Faisal Air Base, Jordan 4-King Hussein Int’l Airport, Jordan
When you Google the military units located at these airfields in the US, a pattern begins to emerge (the following information is derived from a Google AI search Hunter Army Airfield (IATA: SVN, ICAO: KSVN) is located in Savannah, Georgia, and is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart, located in Hinesville, Georgia — about 45 miles to the southwest. What could the C-17 be picking up? Cargo, helicopters or personnel? Important to note that Hunter is home to some of the US military’s most elite aviation forces: 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment — not an aviation unit itself, but the Rangers are based at Hunter and work closely with the 160th SOAR 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) — the legendary “Night Stalkers,” flying highly modified MH-60 Black Hawks and MH-47 Chinooks on classified special operations missions worldwide. 15th Air Support Operations Squadron (USAF) — Air Force unit embedded with Army ground forces to coordinate close air support 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment — not a flying unit, but the Rangers at JBLM are closely integrated with the 160th SOAR in rapid-raid and direct-action mission sets 1st Special Forces Group — the primary Army Special Forces group for the Pacific theater, also at JBLM, relying on the 160th SOAR for aviation support 22nd Special Tactics Squadron (USAF) — Air Force special operations combat controllers and pararescuemen embedded at McChord Field, supporting the full joint special operations enterprise is an amalgamation of Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, which merged on February 1, 2010, as a result of 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. JBLM is the only Army power projection base west of the Rocky Mountains in the Continental United States. Key units at this base include: The 4th Battalion, 160th SOAR is listed as a major unit at JBLM. Army Like the 3rd Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield, the 4th Battalion is part of the legendary Night Stalkers — the Army’s elite special operations aviation regiment that provides aviation support to special operations forces worldwide. Flying highly modified MH-60 and MH-47 variants with advanced navigation and survivability systems, the Night Stalkers operate under the motto “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit” and support the full range of classified special operations missions. JBLM’s 4th Battalion supports Pacific-theater special operations requirements. 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment — not a flying unit, but the Rangers at JBLM are closely integrated with the 160th SOAR in rapid-raid and direct-action mission sets. 1st Special Forces Group — the primary Army Special Forces group for the Pacific theater, also at JBLM, relying on the 160th SOAR for aviation support. 22nd Special Tactics Squadron (USAF) — Air Force special operations combat controllers and pararescuemen embedded at McChord Field, supporting the full joint special operations enterprise Campbell Army Airfield/Fort Campbell, KY : Fort Campbell and Campbell Army Airfield represent arguably the most aviation-dense installation in the entire US Army — the spiritual home of Army rotary-wing aviation and the epicenter of special operations aviation worldwide. Fort Campbell is the regimental home of the 160th SOAR, the most elite rotary-wing aviation unit in the world. Key units include: 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR (Airborne 1st Battalion is located at Fort Campbell, KY and is equipped with MH-6 and AH-6 Little Bird light assault and attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawk assault and attack helicopters. 1st Battalion is the primary support battalion for Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) , meaning it directly supports the Army’s most classified and sensitive direct-action units including Delta Force and SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU). 2nd Battalion, 160th SOAR (Airborne 2nd Battalion is located at Fort Campbell, KY and is equipped with MH-47 Chinook heavy assault helicopters, MH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopters, and MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft systems. 160th SOAR The MH-47G Chinook is the regiment’s workhorse for long-range infiltration and exfiltration of large special operations teams, featuring aerial refueling capability, terrain-following radar, advanced navigation systems, and extreme environmental modifications for Arctic, desert, and maritime operations. The 2nd Battalion’s ability to refuel in flight makes it capable of missions of virtually unlimited range. Fort Bragg/Pope Field is unlike any of the previous installations — it is not primarily a rotary-wing aviation base, but rather the beating heart of the entire US joint airborne and special operations enterprise, with aviation assets drawn from multiple services and commands. Notable ground units with deep aviation dependencies at this base include:
- 82nd Airborne Division — the entire division’s rapid deployment concept depends on Air Force strategic airlift (C-17s and C-130s) flowing through Pope Field and Army rotary-wing aviation at Simmons
- - 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) — oversees all active Army Special Forces Groups, relying on both 160th SOAR and AFSOC for their aviation support
- - 75th Ranger Regiment (HQ) — the regiment’s headquarters is at Fort Bragg, with battalions at Fort Benning/Moore, Georgia; Fort Lewis, Washington; and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia
- - 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) — Africa-focused Special Forces Group based at Fort Bragg, relying on AFSOC and 160th SOAR support
- - Delta Force (1st SFOD-D) — the Army’s Tier 1 direct-action unit, based at Fort Bragg’s classified compound (“The Farm”), wholly dependent on the Night Stalkers and JSOC aviation for operational support
- - USASOAC (US Army Special Operations Aviation Command) — the command headquarters overseeing all Army special operations aviation, including the 160th SOAR, is at Fort Bragg
- Naval Air Station Oceana, VA : The airfield is formally known as Apollo Soucek Field , named after Lieutenant (later Admiral) Apollo Soucek, a Navy test pilot who set the world altitude record in 1930 flying a Curtiss biplane to 43,166 feet. It has four active runways, giving it the capacity to handle the enormous volume of flight operations generated by its 17-plus squadrons simultaneously. NAS Oceana is supplemented by the Dam Neck Annex — a separate, highly secured installation a few miles away, home to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU/SEAL Team Six), various schoolhouses, and non-flying commands.
Understanding the distinction between DEVGRU at Dam Neck and the SEAL teams at Little Creek is important. The conventional SEAL teams (Teams 2, 4, 8, 10) are Tier 2 special operations forces — enormously capable by any standard, but operating under theater special operations commands on assigned missions. They deploy on predictable cycles, supporting combatant commanders with direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, and counter-terrorism.
DEVGRU is Tier 1 — it answers directly to JSOC, takes missions directly from the President and National Command Authority through JSOC, and deploys in response to the most sensitive national priority targets. Its operators are drawn exclusively from the existing SEAL community after a grueling selection process called Green Team, with roughly a 50% attrition rate.
I do not know what is being planned, but the intense activity of at least 35 C-17 missions at these bases indicates a major Special Operations activity is in the works. The activity started on March 12 — one day before the 31st MEU was deployed. Coincidence? I don’t think so. If I can figure this out using only open source data, I have no doubt that the Iranians, the Russians and the Chinese are monitoring this activity as well… They also have good intelligence analysts and, unlike me, access to classified intelligence from their own sources.
If these forces are inserted onto Iranian territory, it will be only a matter of time before Iran starts hitting them with drones and missiles. After 25 days of war, the US has suffered few casualties considering the number of missiles and drones that have been launched. This kind of operation carries enormous risk for the operators who are deployed on the ground. I fear that US planners have grossly underestimated the resolve and determination of the Iranians to defend their home. I started the day with Judge Nap: Nima came properly dressed, outclassing me: Sulaiman Ahmed had me back for a repeat visit: I always enjoy the chance to converse with Mario Nawfal. I find him a good barometer for how well the Deep State propagand is working: --- I thank you for your invaluable support by taking time to read or comment. I do not charge a subscription fee nor do I accept advertising. I want the content to be accessible to everyone interested in the issues I am discussing. However, if you wish to make a donation, please see this link .