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The Pentagon is reportedly sending the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer and the rest of its Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), loaded with elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). This comes as the Trump administration is reported to be increasingly considering seizing or blockading Iran’s highly strategic Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf as part of a new phase of Operation Epic Fury.

It has now been widely reported that what is described as an “accelerated” deployment of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th MEU from the West Coast will be in support of Operation Epic Fury.

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group also includes two other amphibious warfare ships, the San Antonio class USS Portland and the Whidbey Island class USS Comstock. The 11th MEU has roughly 2,500 personnel, in total, and includes air and ground components.

This follows reports last week that the America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and its ARG, carrying elements of the 31st MEU, had also begun moving from the Pacific toward the Middle to support ongoing operations against Iran.

Axios reported today that the Trump administration could be leaning toward establishing a blockade around Iran’s Kharg Island, through which it exports much of its oil, or occupying it, citing unnamed officials. The central goal of doing this would be to step up pressure on the regime in Tehran to, in turn, force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through that waterway has come to a virtual halt, which is causing massive reverberations across global energy markets.

“[Trump] wants Hormuz open. If he has to take Kharg Island to make it happen, that’s going to happen. If he decides to have a coastal invasion, that’s going to happen,” one official said, according to Axios. “But that decision hasn’t been made.”

The U.S. military carried out extensive strikes on Kharg Island this past weekend. A deployment of U.S. ground troops there would be a major escalation that could have significant ramifications, including domestically.

“We’ve always had boots on the ground in conflicts under every president, including Trump. I know this is a fixation in the media, and I get the politics, but the president is going to do what’s right,” a second official, who also said no decision has yet been made, said, per Axios.

Just yesterday, TWZ spoke with Joseph Votel, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, with a particular focus on the tumultuous Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of the world’s oil passes. You can read that interview here.

In the meantime, publicly available flight-tracking data indicates that the U.S. Navy is using MQ-4C Triton intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones to monitor Kharg Island as part of their patrols of the northern Persian Gulf.

Trump has warned that he might consider targeting oil facilities on the island if Iran or other countries “do anything to interfere” with the safe passage of ships through the strait.

Destroying or damaging oil infrastructure on Kharg could have unintended side effects, however. On the one hand, it would further push up global oil prices. The complex nature of infrastructure might take years to repair, which would compound this. In the long term, there is also the question of whether oil infrastructure here should be preserved for the benefit of a potential new Iranian government.

Any successor to the current regime would lose out on vital oil income, potentially driving further internal strife.

There is also the possibility that seizing the island and cutting off the current Iranian government from its most vital source of revenue could be used as a catalyst to bring about its fall.

Then there is the huge question about the kind of military effort that would be required to seize Kharg. This would require a large-scale, sustained operation and would be brought with risk. The island is only 20 miles from the Iranian mainland, putting whatever U.S. force is there at extreme risk of bombardment of multiple types. Getting amphibious assault ships through the Strait and into the Gulf would be an issue, as well, and those ships would be heavily targeted during transit and especially once inside the Gulf. With this in mind, a longer-range aviation assault would be most likely.

A naval blockade of the island might be easier to achieve in the short term, but it would run the risk of Iranian attacks, likely involving uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), drones, and other asymmetric options, as well as anti-ship cruise missiles, the use of which has been limited up to this point, as you can read about here.

As already noted, additional U.S. forces are headed to the region in the form of the Tripoli ARG and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). While the deployment of the big-deck amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli had already been reported, we now know it is being supported by the amphibious transport docks USS San Diego (LPD-22) and USS New Orleans (LPD-18), thanks to publicly available ship-tracking data.

What exactly the next phase of Operation Epic Fury will look like could be clearer as the Navy amphibious warfare ships and the thousands of Marines they are carrying get closer to the Middle East.

UPDATES

UPDATE: 6:16 PM EST –

There are some mixed messages coming out of Washington about the future of Epic Fury.

President Donald Trump said he is considering “winding down” the war on Iran. His comments, delivered on his Truth Social account, come even though two Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) are steaming toward the Middle East and the Pentagon has reportedly drawn up plans to put American troops into Iran with the president’s approval.

Trump added that the U.S. could end the war effort even with the Iranians still closing the Strait of Hormuz.

“We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran,” Trump proclaimed.

He stated that the U.S. has: “(1) Completely degrading Iranian Missile Capability, Launchers, and everything else pertaining to them. (2) Destroying Iran’s Defense Industrial Base. (3) Eliminating their Navy and Air Force, including Anti Aircraft Weaponry. (4) Never allowing Iran to get even close to Nuclear Capability, and always being in a position where the U.S.A. can quickly and powerfully react to such a situation, should it take place. (5) Protecting, at the highest level, our Middle Eastern Allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and others.”

The Strait, Trump added, “will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not! If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them.”

Our coverage has ended for the day. Stay tuned for more.

UPDATE: 5:15 PM EST –

Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who served as Defense Secretary and CENTCOM commander, weighed in on the war, saying he doesn’t believe regime change is likely.

Iranian state media warns Iran will target the UAE’s industrial port city of Ras Al-Khaimah if Iranian islands are again attacked from that nation, Arab News reported.

A warning about ‘additional information about existing entry requirements’ has been issued

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has released new travel guidance for the USA. The update was released earlier today (Friday, March 13).

The FCDO explained that the amendment pertains to ‘additional information about existing entry requirements and new information on possible travel disruption’. It was posted on the official ‘Foreign travel advice’ page.

The most recent advice also encompasses American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and United States Virgin Islands. The website states: “There could be longer than usual queues at some US airports due to a partial US government shutdown. Check with your travel provider, departure airport or airline for the latest guidance.

“You must have the correct approval prior to travel. This will be either a valid US visa or Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), depending on your personal circumstances and purpose of travel.

“US authorities enforce entry rules strictly. If you do not have the correct immigration status, or if you breach the terms of your entry, there is a risk you may be detained, refused entry, or removed (deported). Overstaying your permitted time in the US can also lead to detention and future bans on re-entry.

“A valid ESTA or visa does not guarantee you will be allowed to enter the US. Authorities may refuse you entry if, for example, they believe you do not plan to stay longer than permitted or have provided inaccurate or incomplete information. The US may change the conditions to travel to the US at any time without prior notice.”

READ MORE: Iran war – Simon Calder explains rules to Brits with holidays booked to Turkey or CyprusREAD MORE: ‘I left London for Germany – rent’s cheaper, but I still miss one thing from home’

The US is set to co-host the World Cup later this year, with the tournament running from 11 June to 19 July. If you’re planning a trip to the US during this period, check out the World Cup page for additional details. Further advisories include ensuring your passport is valid for the duration of your intended stay.

If your journey involves transiting through another country en route to or from the US, make sure to verify the entry requirements for that nation. Many countries only permit entry if your passport has at least six months’ validity remaining.

To gain entry or transit through the US, you’ll need either an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) or a visa. More information on visas can be found on the US State Department’s website.

Travellers whose gender on their passport differs from their birth-recorded sex should seek further advice from the US Embassy or a consulate in the UK.

Officials may request to examine your electronic devices, emails, text messages, and social media activity. Refusal could result in delayed or denied entry.

More information on electronic device searches can be found on the US Customs and Border Protection website.

WASHINGTON — In a major shakeup of the agency at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, President Trump announced Thursday that he was replacing embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who will step down at the end of the month.

Trump said on Truth Social that he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Millin (R-Okla.) to take over the job, two days after Noem was grilled on Capitol Hill by Democrats and some Republicans.

Trump said Noem will become a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative that he said would focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Noem, the former South Dakota governor, is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump’s second term as president. Her departure comes amid intense scrutiny over immigration enforcement tactics since last year that intensified after the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis by immigration agents.

Those killings led to demands for more accountability within the agency, and disagreement over how to rein in the tactics deployed by federal immigration agents, have led to a weeks-long standoff over the agency’s funding.

Since the shutdown, lawmakers from both parties have used a series of contentious oversight hearings to question Noem’s management of the agency. During a hearing Tuesday, the criticism from Republicans was particularly blunt.

“We are an exceptional nation, and one of the reasons we are exceptional is because we expect exceptional leadership, and you’ve demonstrated anything but that,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told Noem.

When Trump announced the shakeup on social media, Noem was speaking at a conference in Nashville. She answered questions from local law enforcement organizations, and did not offer hints that she knew her departure was imminent. She was not asked about her firing during the event.

After the conference ended, Noem thanked Trump for her special envoy appointment, a diplomatic position she said will have her working to curb drugs from coming into the United States.

“I am super excited about this opportunity. It came at not a complete surprise, but it came at a little bit of a surprise,” Mullin told reporters outside the Capitol.

Mullin said he was not expecting the call Thursday, but that he is “ready to get started” and will work to “earn everybody’s vote,” regardless of party affiliation.

“When I go into this position, yes, I am a Republican, yes I am conservative, but the Department of Homeland Security is to keep everybody — regardless of whether you support me , if you don’t support me, regardless of what your thoughts are — I am here to enforce the policies that Congress passed,” Mullin said.

Mullin would need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under federal law is allowed to serve as acting Homeland Security secretary while his nomination is pending.

When the news broke, Republican senators appeared to be congratulating Mullin on the Senate floor as the chamber was conducting business. Meanwhile, Democratic senators applauded the decision to fire Noem but lamented that she will continue to serve in public office.

“The atrocities she oversaw, the falsehoods she peddled, & the corruption she committed — all richly deserve her discharge,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote on X. “President Trump should have made it explicit, rather than disguising it with another position of public trust.”

Noem was also criticized over how her department spent billions of dollars allocated by Congress.

In the congressional hearings this week, lawmakers questioned her on a $200-million ad campaign she oversaw that urged anyone in the U.S. illegally to deport voluntarily.

Noem told the Senate panel on Tuesday that the president approved the campaign, which the White House denied to NBC News.

Early criticism of Noem came last June, as DHS was scaling up raids throughout Los Angeles. During a news conference at the Westwood federal building, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was forced to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents after he interrupted Noem to ask her a question.

“If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question,” Padilla said later. “I can only imagine what they’re doing to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country.”

Padilla reacted to Noem’s ouster as evidence of public pressure working to hold her to account.

“This is why we don’t give up,” he said.

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said Noem’s departure was long overdue.

“Her tenure, as two congressional hearings this week clearly showed, was defined by chaos, cruelty, corruption, and a refusal to take responsibility for the abuses carried out by federal agents under her watch,” she said. “For immigrant communities across the country, her leadership represented a dangerous escalation of policies that treated families and workers as targets rather than as human beings who contribute to and strengthen this nation.”

Salas said the new Homeland Security secretary must ensure transparency, respect the Constitution and treat immigrants with dignity.

March 4 (UPI) — NATO air and missile defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran heading toward Turkish airspace on Wednesday.

The Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that the ballistic missile had crossed Iraqi and Syrian airspace before being neutralized by NATO air defenses posted in the Mediterranean Sea. There were no casualties or injuries.

“Our resolve and capacity to ensure the security of our country and citizens are at the highest level,” the Ministry of Defense said in a press release translated from Turkish. “While Turkey supports regional stability and peace, it is capable of ensuring the security of its territory and citizens, regardless of who or where the threat comes from.”

The ministry did not say what it believed the intended target of the missile to be.

The Iranian missile is the first fired toward NATO territory since the conflict began. It followed a warning from Tehran that European countries supporting the United States and Israel would face retaliation from Iran.

Iran has launched missiles and drones toward countries in the Middle East that have a U.S. military presence in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

“NATO stands firmly with all allies, including Turkey, as Iran continues its indiscriminate attacks across the region,” Allison Hart, NATO spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains, including when it comes to air and missile defense.”

After being intercepted, debris from the missile fell in the Turkish province Hatay in south-central Turkey near the Syrian border.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a social media post on Tuesday that he wishes to see a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict.

“We do not wish to witness conflict, war, tension and massacre right next door,” Erdogan said. “Our stance on the illegal attacks targeting Iran is also in this direction.

Four days into Operation Epic Fury, the joint American-Israeli attack on Iran, the U.S. is moving more tactical jets to the Middle East. On Tuesday, additional F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters and F-15E Strike Eagle multirole fighters took off from Lakenheath Air Base in the U.K, according to flight trackers and spotters. The jets are joining the large number of fighters already engaged in the war effort. The aircraft will be a welcome sight for CENTCOM, which just lost three F-15E Strike Eagles to friendly fire.

You can catch up with our latest coverage of Epic Fury here.

These movements come in the wake of statements made by Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the U.S. is plussing up its Middle East aviation force.

In his opening remarks during a Monday morning press conference at the Pentagon, Caine said that the commander of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, “will receive additional forces.”

“Even today, this rapid buildup of forces demonstrated the joint forces’ ability to adapt and project power at the time and place of our nation’s choosing,” Caine said, declining to provide many additional details.

“I don’t want to talk specifics, because that would tip the enemy off,” Caine explained. “We have more tactical aviation flowing into theater just based on the time it took to get it out there. I think we’re just about where we want to be in terms of total combat capacity and total combat power.”

That could change depending on what happens in the fight against Iran.

“For Admiral Cooper…he’ll consistently assess the trajectory of the campaign is the ON or OFF trajectory, and then make an ask of the joint force, which will then develop options for consideration by the secretary and the president to either increase or, in some cases, decrease the amount of combat capabilities that we have over there.”

The open-source intelligence (OSINT) @DefenceGeek X account tracked a dozen F-35As, originally from Hill Air Force Base in Utah, heading to the Middle East.

Hill AFB F-35As on the move from Lakenheath #FreeIran‌
— Operation EPIC FURY —

The F-35As from Hill AFB that arrived at RAF Lakenheath (EGUL) the other week are now heading forward! Aircraft on the move are:

KC-135R “BOBBY01” 61-0324 #AE0263
KC-135R “BOBBY02” 62-3559… pic.twitter.com/W6SlbgrI6F

— DefenceGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) March 3, 2026

Aviation photographer Eugenia Golding, who lives under the RAF Lakenheath’s airbase flight path, shared some photos with us of F-35As after taking off from Lakenheath.

She also provided photos of the F-35As accompanied by a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jet.

Aviation photographer Paul Field, who lives near RAF Lakenheath, also shared images of F-35As.

The @ArmchairAdml X account tracked additional F-15Es heading to the Middle East.

Golding also shared a photo of three F-15Es heading out of Lakenheath accompanied by a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jet.

The fighters leaving Lakenheath today join a wide array of fighters, electronic warfare aircraft, surveillance aircraft, communications planes, maritime patrol jets and tankers deployed to the region.

In addition, CENTCOM confirms that in addition to B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress bombers have also taken part in Epic Fury, flying from the U.S. to strike targets in Iran. There have also been scores of transport jets hauling air defense systems and other war materiel transiting to the region on a daily basis.

In the first three days of the operation, CENTCOM has hit more than 1,700 targets, including command and control centers, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, air defense systems, ballistic and anti-ship missile sites and naval bases. In addition to attacks from manned aircraft, these strikes have come from drones, ground base rocket artillery systems as well as from the sea with Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise missiles launched from Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers.

As we have noted in the past, a large number of these aircraft have flown to Muwaffaq Salti, in central Jordan, which has become a central hub for U.S. tactical jets and other aircraft.

The war, as we noted earlier in this story, has already taken a toll on U.S. fighters. As we previously reported, three Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses on March 1. All six crew members survived, but the incident showed that the battlespace is extremely complex. Given how many missiles and drones Iran is firing and all the tactical aircraft coming and going, the threat of friendly fire incidents like this is very real.

The U.S. is not alone in providing airpower. Israel has the largest and most advanced Air Force in the Middle East and has been hitting hundreds of targets, including a major new wave of Israeli strikes going after leadership targets in Tehran today.

🎯STRUCK: The Iranian Regime’s Leadership Compound — the central headquarters have been dismantled

This command headquarters was one of the most heavily secured assets in Iran. The compound that housed the regime’s most senior forum was struck by the IAF overnight using precise… pic.twitter.com/4iW2xd71bC

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 3, 2026

Meanwhile, aircraft from the U.K. and France have been deployed to the Middle East as well, while Greek fighters have been sent to Cyprus to protect facilities on the island.

On Tuesday, the British Defense Ministry (MoD) confirmed that one of its F-35Bs downed an Iranian drone over Jordan.

The UK’s F-35 fleet has scored its first kill, shooting down an Iranian attack drone over Jordan.

British fighters are now conducting combat air patrols over Jordan, Qatar, and the Eastern Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/EDxQbONjTZ

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 3, 2026

France deployed Rafale fighters to the United Arab Emirates for protection of “its naval and air bases against Iranian attacks, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday,” according to Le Monde. “France has hundreds of navy, air force and army personnel based in the United Arab Emirates. Its Rafale aircraft are stationed at the Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi.”

It remains unknown how long Epic Fury will last. U.S. President Donald Trump has offered various timelines, the most recent being an operation that could last “four to five weeks.”

As we have reported in the past, though a large number of aircraft have been pushed to the Middle East, that still might not be enough for a sustained campaign lasting more than a month. As the war drags on, we will very likely see more allied aviation assets pouring into the region, something we will continue to monitor.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com