USS Boxer During my interview the other night with Sulaiman I reacted with astonishment and skepticism to the CENTCOM announcement that the USS Boxer was being sent to the Sea of Oman. It deployed in early March and was widely reported to be headed to the Persian Gulf. Turns out I was wrong. When the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) deployed from San Diego on March 18, 2026 with 2,200 Marines, it was widely understood that it was being dispatched to participate in Operation Epic Fury. The 11th MEU deployed on the USS Boxer and was part of an Amphibious Ready Group (aka ARG). ARG is the standard Navy term for a formation of three amphibious warfare ships that deploy together as a package. The typical composition — which the Boxer group follows exactly — is one big-deck amphibious assault ship (LHD or LHA, like Boxer) serving as flagship, one amphibious transport dock (LPD, like Portland), and one dock landing ship (LSD, like Comstock).
When the Boxer departed San Diego on March 18-19 its destination was genuinely undetermined — military officials at the time intimated that the group would either replace the Asia-based Tripoli ARG or follow the Tripoli group to the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury. It arrived at Pearl Harbor around March 29-30 and then immediately departed Hawaii heading west on April 1. From there it spent nearly three months in the Pacific, not the Middle East, initially conducting typhoon Sinlaku relief operations in Guam and the Northern Marianas April 22–28. It then transited the Surigao Strait. The Boxer entered the Andaman Sea on May 17, followed by the South China Sea on June 2 and again June 13, then Singapore around June 20–22 before the Indian Ocean transit. Now it is July and CENTCOM has announced that Boxer and USS Portland — the other two ships in the ARG — are now operating in the Middle East as part of a scheduled deployment, noting that USS Comstock — the third ship of the ARG — had already been in the region since early May. Local San Diego coverage on July 5 confirmed the group arrived June 30 carrying roughly 2,200 Camp Pendleton Marines, and described Boxer’s air wing of F-35Bs, Ospreys, and helicopters plus well-deck hovercraft.
So what is going on? I think this is some weak saber rattling, although some social media provocateurs are fretting over whether Trump is going to order them to storm a beach somewhere in the region. With the funeral proceedings for the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei still underway, I doubt that the US will attempt any military action. If the US does decide to strike Iran in the wake of reports late on Monday that Iran had struck two more ships attempting to sneak through Omani waters then Iran is likely to react with more ferocity and intensity compared to the last exchange of missiles and drones two weeks ago.
I feel bad for the Marines cooped up on those ships. Tough to do training an physical exercise normally associated with US Marine Corps activities. Looks like they are going to hang off the coast of Oman… I don’t know if liberty on shore is in the cards. Oman is not known for being party city and serving up gallons of cold beer.
Other than that, the funeral of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is setting a record for attendance by mourners… The numbers are expected to exceed a total of 40 million, which represents almost half the entire population of Iran… And the West claimed that the Ayatollah was unpopular. This is an unprecedented event in human history… There has never been such a large gathering of mourners. ---
Nima and I discussed the massive crowds attending the funeral of the Ayatollah: Pakistan reportedly believes it has persuaded the US and Iran to meet in Islamabad this Saturday to continue negotiations over the MoU… Pepe and I discussed the obstacles and factors likely to derail the porcess: Looks like Iran has hit two more ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz… A ripe topic of discussion for Mario and me: --- 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 .