As tensions between the United States and Iran continue, more Vermont National Guard members are preparing to deploy to the U.S. Central Command region, a vast military area that includes the Middle East.
The guard held a ceremony Friday at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho recognizing service members before their expected deployment to the U.S. Central Command region, which spans from Egypt through the Middle East into Central Asia, which includes Iran.
About 400 soldiers from the 3-172 Infantry Battalion of the guard are expected to deploy to the region within the next month, according to Guard spokesperson Joseph Brooks. Brooks would not comment on where specifically the members are headed, although he said he expects them to be sent to various bases across the region.
Brooks said that while the deployment is part of a rotation that was planned prior to the start of the war in Iran, the conflict may have an impact on the role that guard members play while deployed.
“I would not characterize it as part of the current conflict, although the current conflict does impact what they’re doing,” Brooks said, referring to the war in Iran.
He said that Guard members would deploy to the region “to maintain a security posture in the CENTCOM region” and work with allies to build capacity, similar to a 2021 deployment of the same battalion.
Brooks did not rule out the possibility that Guard members could become involved more directly in the war with Iran.
“Given that they’re an infantry battalion, they’re there to be available for contingency operations as necessary,” he said.
The battalion’s members receive special training in operating in mountainous terrain and hail from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, the release said.
Maj. Emma Thompson, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, would not provide further details about the deployment. She said that CENTCOM does not provide information about troop movements in order to avoid putting members at risk.
The deployment to the region comes as ceasefire negotiations between the U.S. and Iran continue. The Associated Press and other outlets reported Thursday that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had tentatively agreed to extend the ceasefire but that President Trump had not yet approved the agreement, according to an unnamed U.S. official and Vice President JD Vance.
Earlier in the week, the U.S. carried out strikes in Iran, and Kuwait intercepted incoming Iranian missiles and drones, according to AP reporting.
The war has faced sharp criticism from Vermont’s congressional delegation, who have said it violates the Constitution because it was never authorized by Congress. Attempts to curb the war through legislation have gained momentum in Congress, although they remain stalled after Republicans in the House declined to hold a vote on the bill last week.
Hundreds of Vermont Air National Guard members were previously deployed to the war in Iran earlier this year. Brooks said those members remain deployed in the region.
Correction: Due to an editing error, a nation was left out of a previous version of the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility map.
This story will be updated.
