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Questions & Help Mar 15, 2026 at 1:47 AM

U.S. sending more than 2,200 Okinawa-based marines to Middle East, reports say

Posted by Spare_Prize_5510

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/14/japan/us-marines-japan-middle-east/
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snapchillnocomment Mar 15, 2026 +334
I keep getting told there's nothing left to bomb or kill there
334
BurmeciaWillSurvive Mar 15, 2026 +58
Plently of processing plants to occupy! Let's go, Kharg Island!
58
corizano Mar 15, 2026 +23
If the US puts boots on the ground Iran will just level the place. If they can’t have it no one can
23
AV15 Mar 15, 2026 +11
The war has been going for 3 weeks so the clock resets. They are a week away from a nuclear bomb again! 
11
ibddevine Mar 15, 2026 +1868
If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance baffle them with your Bull.
1868
kitsunekratom Mar 15, 2026 +300
You can say shit. I promise
300
zZaphon Mar 15, 2026 +119
No he cant ill throw a fit
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csgskate Mar 15, 2026 +57
Same, will report to the authorities
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GoingInNaked Mar 15, 2026 +23
If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?
23
Redgen87 Mar 15, 2026 +13
We don’t need no education!
13
PhamilyTrickster Mar 15, 2026 +10
Is that a proper shit fit?
10
MJamesK Mar 15, 2026 +25
Sending your kids off into the meat grinder to own the libs ✨ Soooo much better than raising taxes on the rich, giving everyone ~free~ taxpayer-funded healthcare and acknowledging people's preferred pronouns. MAGA you are so smart! (/s, because fk me)
25
MrMCCO Mar 15, 2026 +3
It’s their grandkids really
3
Momik Mar 15, 2026 +3
Now you’ve done it
3
ComingInSideways Mar 15, 2026 +101
I am just curious, does this administration think that just because they are based in Japan they are not Americans? I mean I just don’t know with the IQ level of this administration. Or are they moving them out of there to reduce total US forces there so China feels even better about invading Taiwan?
101
quelewds Mar 15, 2026 +117
If you read the white houses latest security strategy document, they have zero plan of countering china in asia. According to the latest strategy documents put out by the Trump administration china gets asia as its area of influence, Russia gets its own area and the US is the owner of the America's. They dont care what happens to Taiwan. They only care about the chip scientists and destroying the factories as they leave. Thats the current taiwan defence strategy.
117
dannydrama Mar 15, 2026 +15
"If I can't have it neither can you no matter the consequences* style of childish and vindictive leadership lol.
15
CorwyntFarrell Mar 15, 2026 +63
Trump said the war was over, but then he asked for help from his allies. The allies he has been f****** with for the past year. Trump's story will flip flop like crazy over the next few months.
63
antz182 Mar 15, 2026 +7
Until something stops him
7
OC6chick Mar 15, 2026 +30
Well, youll remember, he thought Puerto Ricans werent Americans. Hes so ignorant his staff cant even fill in all the gaps
30
NorthernerWuwu Mar 15, 2026 +11
He just doesn't think they are Real Americans.
11
can_dry Mar 15, 2026 +8
Trump always pretends and says confidently everything is great no matter how terrible everything actually is. His MAGA cult haven't learned this yet.
8
DoctorNurse89 Mar 15, 2026 +4
It's to thin american military readiness around the world
4
TCNZ Mar 15, 2026 +1669
How to Run Your Empire into the Ground (Like the Romans Did): - believe you can never fail - war for war's sake - spread resources thin over a large area - inept leadership - make your own population hate you - remove/destroy the lowest classes of people - waste, waste, waste until you have to invade countries to get the basics - make your army hate you Keep going US, you're doing well!
1669
Shykin Mar 15, 2026 +733
Honestly comparing us to the Romans feels deeply delusion. We lasted way less time. We're a quick upstart from a backwater colony that got lucky due to wars between more stable powers but failed to establish a strong foundation for our society and quickly collapsed under the weight of our own idiots.
733
tendimensions Mar 15, 2026 +383
Got lucky is no joke. The geography of the U.S. played a massive role in the rise of power and economy not to mention the use of slave labor. Two world wars that we sat out for as long as possible helped knock all our competition back a couple of decades too. Then we got to be the primary source of raw material when they built everything back while we were unscathed. There’s no doubt democracy and unfettered capitalism helped, but the foundational components were so integral to the success of the U.S. becoming the dominant superpower in the world it’s possible ANY form of government and economic system would have succeeded. EDIT: Let me add this awesome video from RealLifeLore that demonstrates the many ways geography was so much more helpful than I ever recall learning in school. Likewise they did an amazing job explaining how Africa is the exact opposite. There was also another video explaining the geography of Eastern Europe and why Russia so badly wants its borders further west. https://youtu.be/BubAF7KSs64?si=zBjVCxwWNSeNHch9
383
Terrariant Mar 15, 2026 +35
I dunno. Authoritarianism was traditionally hard to do over a large area. The territories were basically individual countries and it was the promise of representation that convinced them to join into one government. If it weren’t for democracy then America might look more like Europe than one country state.
35
RobertPham149 Mar 15, 2026 +29
Europe is different because they are mostly comprised of nations with unique culture, language, beliefs, ... The colonies were more or less bound to be eventually federalized due to it already being under common British rule. It would be more similar to Canada than Europe
29
NH4NO3 Mar 15, 2026 +35
The US could have really, really easily gotten derailed without its relatively robust government and particular decentralization of power. Look at Mexico or Brazil. Mexico wasn't nearly as stable and ultimately lost out against it's biggest rival the US, but it had many initial advantages over the US that could have enabled it to compete against it better in the 19th century. Ditto for Brazil which arguably also had many advantages the US did not enjoy such as being by far the largest country on the continent, being relatively united around slavery, and not bordering a massive often angry former colonial master.
35
JIsADev Mar 15, 2026 +6
Russia and China don't need to send troops to the USA, we're dumb enough to destroy it ourselves
6
HomeGrownCoffee Mar 15, 2026 +9
They beat the US over the internet. They warred from home, and won.
9
EnragedTea43 Mar 15, 2026 +3
The US had a very strong foundation. But for the last 40 years, that foundation has been chipped away at, ultimately culminating in the current administration completely pulling the floor out from everyone.
3
Turbots Mar 15, 2026 +30
- Military Over-Expansion - Curreny Debasement - Debt Spiral - Loss of productive capacity - Social Decay <-- YOU ARE HERE - Loss of reserve currency status - Total Collapse
30
AV15 Mar 15, 2026 +45
We are looking for the Guinness world record for shortest lived empire 
45
sylpher250 Mar 15, 2026 +16
Welllll~ The Mongolian and Qin empires were already pretty short lived...
16
ImminentDingo Mar 15, 2026 +17
This is not why the roman empire fell
17
Gimpknee Mar 15, 2026 +3
And when you least expect it, the Antonine Plague, and when you think you've got it all figured out, boom, Plague of Justinian.
3
batch1972 Mar 15, 2026 +378
Number of rapes and sexual assaults will go down then..
378
PigFarmer1 Mar 15, 2026 +211
In Okinawa. Not so much in Iran...
211
hipi_hapa Mar 15, 2026 +43
And Lebanon.
43
wiztard Mar 15, 2026 +22
I'm sure the Trump-Epstein coalition will still do their part.
22
OffalSmorgasbord Mar 15, 2026 +10
I saw a video a while back of MPs in Okinawa assaulting an American tourist because they thought he was a serviceman out after curfew. How in the hell were things ever allowed to get that bad!? No standards anymore?
10
kyute222 Mar 15, 2026 +35
Imagine being a mighty "soldier" who gets himself stationed in Japan because you think you can spend years harassing, raping, and murdering the locals like your daddy and grandpa before you. And then you end up being pulled into the most pointless war in the Middle East lmao. I gotta say, watching the American empire fall has some good parts too.
35
Positive-Room7421 Mar 15, 2026 +1372
I was never in the military but I have played many games of Risk. There is a bit of planning required before invading. You can't just start a war and then slowly ferry your forces over. It's almost like the Trump-Epstein administration didn't plan at all. 
1372
Ghost_Reborn416 Mar 15, 2026 +428
Im pretty sure trump's gameplan was "bomb the c*** out of them and they'll surrender within a few days" Now that that hasn't happened, they're panicking
428
johnnycyberpunk Mar 15, 2026 +259
The original gameplay was to *scare* them into some sort of deal by placing 2 full aircraft carrier groups in the gulf near Iran. **They called Trump’s bluff** for whatever bullshit he was slinging. Demands for oil, minerals, territory, or more likely - demands for Iran to stop providing these things *to China*. Netanyahu saw this as a golden opportunity and played Trump like a fiddle, talked him and Hegseth and Rubio and Lady Graham into launching the attack.
259
WRSTRZ Mar 15, 2026 +101
To my understanding, the Iranian's had agreed to a deal but one of their conditions regarding their uranium enrichment, the US didn't agree to. It's likely that a deal could've been reached but I think Trump was worried about seeming weak after building up a force to scare Iran into a deal. So he ordered the strikes thinking Iran would just roll over and do whatever he says, and nobody had a plan for what to do after when they didn't just roll over
101
TheAskewOne Mar 15, 2026 +42
Trump doesn’t understand what a deal is. He thinks that a compromise means you lost, because his worldview is one where the only possible relationship between people is domination.
42
AirForceH Mar 15, 2026 +52
I don’t think Trump was worried about chickening out because he always does that. I think Israel forced him to commit to the war after Israel struck first
52
dannydrama Mar 15, 2026 +27
I want to know what the Israelis have other than sympathy because everyone seems to bend over for them no matter what.
27
NorthernerWuwu Mar 15, 2026 +32
Well, they definitely punch above their weight when it comes to an effective intelligence service.
32
dannydrama Mar 15, 2026 +30
They punch above their weight in general. They manage to make everyone ignore killing civilians and their illegal settlements too.
30
Tallowo Mar 15, 2026 +9
I don’t think many people were ignoring the civilian death toll. It was game theory. Protesting the Dem president the summer before the election wasn’t the play when we were facing this as the obvious outcome and existential threat.
9
andreicde Mar 15, 2026 +8
Leverage. Corrupted congressmen bribed by AIPAC. That's what they have. Between the corruption through bribery and blackmail with the dirty deeds they have done on Epstein island, that's how the Israeli government controls the USA government. A bunch of disgusting men controlled by other similarly disgusting men. Why else would Lindsey Graham get a hard-on every time he talks about war and dying for Israel while he himself would never volunteer to go there and fight the enemy?
8
ButIDigr3ss Mar 15, 2026 +16
They have something better than sympathy. They have videos of American elites, including trump, f****** kids.
16
sakura-peachy Mar 15, 2026 +19
This is what happens when your only experience is with fighting Democrats who do actually roll over for even the mildest Republican posturing.
19
WeeBabySeamus Mar 15, 2026 +10
How does Netanyahu benefit? I’m genuinely asking because I don’t really understand what’s going on in the Middle East
10
Infamous-Sky-1874 Mar 15, 2026 +77
It delays his corruption trial yet again and gives him cover to do land grabs in Lebanon.
77
shaehl Mar 15, 2026 +42
Iran is Israel's only peer threat in the region. If they were able to induce regime change or otherwise collapse the country, they would be unchecked in their efforts to expand their territory.
42
irvmuller Mar 15, 2026 +45
2 things. It delays his trial. 2nd, they want instability in the Middle East. They see Iran as an existential threat to their power. If Iran is in shambles then they don’t have to negotiate with them. However, if the playing field is ever leveled then Israel would have to figure out how to play nice so they could survive. Ultimately, that’s why they want to be the only ones with nuclear weapons. It makes them the most powerful country. If another country gains that power then they then have to find ways to compromise. Israel believes, literally, that God has destined them to inherit land that is highly disputed and they want nothing to stop them. It’s all about power and control. They don’t want Iran to eventually say, “yeah, you’re gonna have to share some of that land with the Muslims that have lived there for a millennium.”
45
JinkoTheMan Mar 15, 2026 +21
I know that not all of it is because of religion but f*** man…how is it that in 2026 we’re still entertaining this “God told us-“ from ANYONE? Why can’t they just work this shit out like rational f****** people?🤦🏾
21
v1zdr1x Mar 15, 2026 +22
Because it’s a mix of Christian nationalism believing in the end times, greed using religion as a cover, and probably a lot of stuff similar to the Epstein files being held by Mossad to blackmail politicians. Also AIPAC giving money to candidates that support them no matter how heinous Israel’s crimes.
22
CroGamer002 Mar 15, 2026 +4
It took Bush more than a year to prepare invasion of Iraq and even then he had an advantage of already having bases and troops set up by his dad and kept on by Clinton for decade prior plus already mobilised troops in Afghanistan and high public support for war because they still demanded blood for 9/11 against any muslim nation. What Trump has is simply not giving a f***, which is forcing America to wage war with no plan and just making it as they go along. Another mess a Democratic president needs to fix and American electorate to reward Republicans by the following Midterms.
4
jack2of4spades Mar 15, 2026 +3
He literally said this and declared the war won after the bombings.
3
_aviemore_ Mar 15, 2026 +67
Trump probably thinks: "We got the greatest military in the world, we can't lose. We can only lose if Iran cheats!"
67
hexcraft-nikk Mar 15, 2026 +67
He straight up fired every general advising against this plan
67
cult_of_image Mar 15, 2026 +35
they got rid of DEI. They're invincible now
35
steve_ample Mar 15, 2026 +132
Yes, but Donnie thinks Colonel Mustard killed Professor Plum, and further sunk your Battleship with a copy of the Epstein files.
132
Jack_Bartowski Mar 15, 2026 +25
Is this what winning 4d chess feels like? Because i want less of that.
25
pedanticPandaPoo Mar 15, 2026 +10
4 d**** chess and we all want less of it 
10
Skatchbro Mar 15, 2026 +4
"If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes should fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.".
4
Chaoswind2 Mar 15, 2026 +61
Their plan was Venezuela 2.0 and no contingencies would be required because Netherdemon told Trump Iran would fold like pussies because Khamenei was a little b****... Too bad Khamenei is dead and there was no one left to hold the IRGC back, so they entered existential war mode. Exactly what Israel wanted, because Trump now has to fight to the last American soldier and bomb or be forever labeled an honor less pedophile b****, instead of the guy that wins all wars he declares. 
61
[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +42
[deleted]
42
devonhezter Mar 15, 2026 +9
You’re hired
9
FrogsJumpFromPussy Mar 15, 2026 +9
Add Netanyahu to the mix. He didn't plan before the war either. Now the news is that Israel is running low on interceptors because they didn't think Iran will have so many drones. They apparently forgot that Iran could produce tens of thousands to help Russia. Iran could have, and still produce, enough c**** drones to keep the war going on for years.
9
johndoe201401 Mar 15, 2026 +7
You surprise your opponent by showing how underprepared you are, that’s your element of surprise.
7
BluMqqse_ Mar 15, 2026 +3
And this first round won’t even make it for another week or 2. Meanwhile nothing is getting through the strait
3
OuijaWalker Mar 15, 2026 +334
Hey MAGAs.. why did you vote for this?
334
PM_me_a_fox_pls Mar 15, 2026 +13
Judging by my aunts Facebook posts... we're fighting to free women from oppression A bit ironically, she posts about how the people there are killed for protesting
13
TheElbow Mar 15, 2026 +6
I’ve seen multiple conservative comments saying how we have to grant asylum to Iranian soccer players, etc. Meanwhile these same people cheers when Trump admin revoked temporary status from numerous groups who have fled violence in their country, putting them “on the list” for deportation from the US. How long till those same Conservatives call for kicking out these Iranian asylum seekers, some years from now?
6
newtomovingaway Mar 15, 2026 +126
Hey non-magas why didn’t you vote?
126
PigFarmer1 Mar 15, 2026 +171
I voted against that b****** three times.
171
i_suckatjavascript Mar 15, 2026 +5
Same. I even went above and beyond by doing canvassing and phonebanking against him in all 3 election cycles.
5
slartibartfast64 Mar 15, 2026 +6
I voted against him all 3 times but my vote is in Idaho where the R always wins so my vote has literally no value.
6
newtomovingaway Mar 15, 2026 +4
Keep up the good fight
4
CelestialFury Mar 15, 2026 +37
I bet the 1/3 of eligible voters that didn't vote are the loudest complainers right now too. "Why is my gas so high?"
37
ChipsAhoiMcCoy Mar 15, 2026 +10
I did. Voted against him.
10
VegetableWishbone Mar 15, 2026 +131
I am looking forward to the Oscar bait movie 10 years from now about the PTSD ridden soldiers from this.
131
coloredinlight Mar 15, 2026 +23
Directed by Clint Eastwood
23
RequirementsRelaxed Mar 15, 2026 +6
You’re going to need subtitles
6
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +407
Iran is going to be a woodchipper that Trump just grinds our massive military into pulp with. I wonder how much equipment and how many troops he's going to lose over there before America limps away and Iran declares victory forever sealing the US military's fate as very defeatable.
407
[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +124
We’re not just limping away. Say good bye to our economy if we exit this war now. Gcc is on the line Edit: just want to clarify I don’t support this war. Worded my response a bit too simply
124
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +201
Our economy is already doomed due to numerous trump policies. Fighting student loan forgiveness kicking people off healthcare taxcuts for the rich regressive taxes like tariffs to make up the difference deficit spending exploding with the interest getting higher| job market and hiring cratering population shrinking with the anti-immigrant shit along with impossible cost of living making kids impossible the oil situation trump flat out declaring he's intentionally inflating the housing bubble the AI bubble eventually crashing USD being a fiat currency the world is bleeding off and devaluing because America is f****** insane. the writing is on the wall for the US economy. A recession would be a fortunate outcome. A legendary fall of Rome depression collapse as we start to lose reserve currency status is more likely. Its not really a matter of if the US economy is fucked. Its when and how you want to describe its current stage of fucked and where it ends.
201
Cpt_Soban Mar 15, 2026 +10
Even if a dem admin gets in- They'll have the better part of 10 years to try and fix that shit... 1 year in the GOP will start screeching about all the shit THEY broke, but the dems haven't fixed immediately... GOP get in yet again, break more shit. Rinse and repeat until you're back to the 1920's with iphones.
10
Ashkir Mar 15, 2026 +6
Without oil, jobs are going to cut like crazy. Since 1989, 52 million new jobs have been added to our economy. 51 million by Democrat Presidents, 1 million by Republican Presidents. Crazy. Without jobs, educated persons won't be able to make student loan payments. Since the government will take said money their "accounts", this is less money spent on businesses. We will see fortune 500s topple during this because they contributed to this.
6
Cobain17 Mar 15, 2026 +23
Preach it
23
ovaltine_jenkins-- Mar 15, 2026 +5
Yeah we are completely and utterly fucked
5
Nope_______ Mar 15, 2026 +18
>A legendary fall of Rome depression collapse So a slow, drawn out decline over a couple hundred years?
18
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +37
Might be faster and dumber due to how fast everything happens and travels this days though. Rome didn't have planes or internet or cell phones. Markets are more reactive and volatile and vibes based than ever. Our supply chain is also extremely lean, which while that's kind of a cool miracle of modern trade it also means its very vulnerable to disruptions. Like there were tailors and farmers and people with those skills all over the roman empire who could carry on in some capacity when things broke down. But America imports so much and we all buy our food from the grocery. Its all shipped to us. What happens if the ships don't show up one day? Its not like our cities are stockpiling salted beef and so on in case of a blight or drought or siege to keep us going months or even years. And well.. What's more disruptive than the collapse?
37
SkeptioningQuestic Mar 15, 2026 +12
Rome was built on a system of security that enabled specialization and trade and when people came to power who couldn't imagine the end of that system and starting lighting things on fire in the name of personal ambition the security evaporated, the whole system of trade collapsed, and the population of Rome (the city) declined by 90%
12
mymikerowecrow Mar 15, 2026 +30
Say good bye to our economy if we keep this up!
30
yupgup12 Mar 15, 2026 +8
American presence in GCC is already gone because of this. Nothing Trump does from this point on will change that
8
AndalusianGod Mar 15, 2026 +14
They'll keep sending troops in cause the US will never ever admit defeat and because of sunk cost fallacy.
14
Castrol-5w30 Mar 15, 2026 +391
Who's going to assault Japanese school girls then?
391
AnOrdinaryMammal Mar 15, 2026 +96
Something that hasn’t gotten talked about enough. Shout out to my man Chalmers
96
Curious_Avocado2399 Mar 15, 2026 +24
Trumpstein that’s why he’s sending them there. Doesn’t want the competition
24
Jerdanhowell Mar 15, 2026 +57
Sorry boys it’s your turn to die for trump’s sins - sadly it’s never the rich guys kids
57
Striper_Cape Mar 15, 2026 +27
Sorry? Statistically most of them voted for Trump. They voted for this
27
IMA_5-STAR_MAN Mar 15, 2026 +7
Exactly. They voted for their pedophile leader, now they get to die for his sins. And if they don't die they can come home and be ignored by our government when they have PTSD.
7
Desperate-Session-12 Mar 15, 2026 +46
The people of Okinawa will be safe for awhile
46
february_ticket Mar 15, 2026 +80
This is 2,200 on top of the 5,000 already sent?
80
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +63
from what I've heard 2,200 is for ground assault, the 5,000 is the total amount of troops being sent to the gulf including the ground assault and the support teams on the boats and in the air.
63
Lobotomized_Dolphin Mar 15, 2026 +81
Which is about 1% of the ground force we committed to invade Iraq in 2003 against a country significantly easier to invade. It's not enough to do anything against anyone, really. Maybe they can put them on Kharg and hold that for some reason? It's nowhere near enough to seize enough territory to make Hormuz navigable.
81
SnooTangerines8491 Mar 15, 2026 +31
They’re going to send them to the island - but I can’t imagine Iran will let them take it. 
31
ViveLaFrance94 Mar 15, 2026 +31
Sitting ducks against missiles.
31
chillichampion Mar 15, 2026 +11
And c**** fpv drones.
11
nova2k Mar 15, 2026 +3
And even cheaper artillery shells.
3
PapaTahm Mar 15, 2026 +16
Even if they take. That Island is in range of the entire Iran. Trump and Oil companies are literally going on Lord Farquaad route of "Many of you will die, but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make".
16
Successful-Bobcat701 Mar 15, 2026 +3
What good can they possibly do on a small island?
3
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +40
I suspect its foot in the door strategy. Slowly boil the frog of the American public to ease us into troops in Iran. Maybe hope that a couple dozen of these marines getting killed or wounded will somehow galvanize us to send more for revenge. Sort of like a very stupid, ineffective, offensive tripwire force. Especially since Trump is pretty easy to understand with this. If you hit him, he wants to hit you back 10x harder. So leaving US troops wide open to get hit is a great way for Hegseth and Graham to herd him into deploying more and more because he wont be able to take news of some marines getting killed with continued Iranian fighting sitting.
40
likwitsnake Mar 15, 2026 +25
Except Americans have pretty much no tolerance for military casualties. Slow dripping that seems like a terrible idea for garnering support.
25
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +9
Oh for sure. But I think Republicans really want to at least be able to make the argument that opposition to them and the war is traitorous, pro-Iran regime, anti-troop etc. I don't think this admin really understands public approval regarding war. Thus why they haven't even tried to build it. Like. At all. They are stupid and also very insulated I think. Getting high off their own supply about what great smart brave boys they are doing what no one else would. And they are so used to denying reality I think they just forgot what that was as a concept. If you aren't living in MAGA world they don't hear you.
9
AssassinAragorn Mar 15, 2026 +11
I think there's a point though at which "you don't support the war therefore you're a traitor" has an inflection and backfires. If the majority of the public is against the war, that's a great way to make people even angrier.
11
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +8
Oh for sure. Its a stupid plan and wont work. But Trump is a stupid desperate man throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks because he's taken critically stupid actions to lead us here.
8
Lobotomized_Dolphin Mar 15, 2026 +9
I don't think it's even that. He just wants to make it look like he's still being aggressive. There's very little else to bomb. He'll move pieces back and forth on the board and issue "truths" like it's meaningful. There's no stomach for even a 2003 style invasion in the US right now. Even the Republican Congress would turn against him. Air power really can keep the lid on the pot, though. Iran already backed off on blocking the straight completely. Now they're allowing specific vessels through, (Indian and Chinese so far, although one Chinese vessel was struck previously). As long as they can keep this up it's a source of income in hard cash for them and a stick in the eye for the US. It would take full mobilization in the US to actually invade and occupy Iran. It's not going to happen,, I dearly hope, as someone who enlisted after 9/11 and sadly was involved in the occupation of Iraq. I regret my 20yo self so much. We're not the same country we were in the early 00s.
9
Malaix Mar 15, 2026 +17
> It would take full mobilization in the US to actually invade and occupy Iran. It's not going to happen Normally I'd agree but it also wasn't that long ago people would have said the US never would elect Trump after his first term or the US never would bomb Iran or put troops in Iran and well.. We keep piling up the "never woulds" lately. I'm trying to break away from my own rational biases and grapple with the irrational impulses and motives of this admin. And theres disturbing things to take from that. Trump is a stupid person. A very stupid, very petty, very spiteful, very easily manipulated person. One who barely understands any of the forces he is technically in charge of. And he really doesn't care to understand because understanding things isn't a muscle he, as a born to power nepo baby, has never needed to develop. Why understand when you can overpower? And then you have his advisors. Genocidal, ideological fascists, religious zealots, foreign interests hellbent on doing what's best for them or whats worst for us. All of them might as well functionally be shadow presidents guiding Trump's actions. Dismantling US hegemony for Russia or China, throwing our resources at their empire building like Israel, trying to do the rapture like the evangelicals, disassembling the western nation states so the network states can take over like the tech bros. These are all objectives Trump has either chased or more likely been pulled into as his brain melts. So its kind of hard to say the US cant or wont do this because its destructive to us or the world. Because he's listening to people who quite literally want to destroy us or even the world.
17
Lobotomized_Dolphin Mar 15, 2026 +10
Trump would absolutely commit the US to a path where we have to mobilize our populace to invade Iran and conquer it, which would necessitate at least 3-4 years and literally a million or more ground troops just to get to a "mission accomplished" banner. That doesn't exist right now. We don't even have enough defensive munitions to protect what we're already doing, we're pulling them from Korea, Ukraine, every f****** place we can get. We're spending 1m+ interceptors to kill a 50k drone, and it doesn't work all the time. The dollar amount isn't even the relevant factor, it's how fast we can produce the interceptors and transport them to where they need to be. This is so f****** stupid. So very very bad. Iran doesn't even need to pull off a terrorist attack on the mainland US in order to show the world it's winning. They just need to get to the point where their c**** drones are hitting targets more often than our interceptors are shooting them down. We're already at the point where it doesn't matter what Trump wants to do. This is the stupidest war ever initiated. It's really not possible to win or lose, it's just about how much treasure and global influence we're willing to burn in order to maintain appearances.
10
thebestnames Mar 15, 2026 +8
Then again they need to get to Kharg, which is on the other side of Hormuz. Implying they'd send the landing ships through.
8
Lobotomized_Dolphin Mar 15, 2026 +15
It's not going to be a contested landing and warships can get through the straight. It's just protecting tankers through the straight that's a problem since they're so slow and huge, and we basically have no dedicated minesweepers anymore, (that won't take a month or more to get into the area). A cruiser and two destroyers backed up by air support will land everyone with very little issue... but this is nothing. Iran is in an existential conflict. They don't care that they're not able to sell their oil anymore or that a major production center is occupied. There is no way to achieve "victory" for the US without a major invasion that would result in 10s of thousands of US casualties. Iran is a natural fortress. Rome didn't conquer it, no one else will either.
15
rfg8071 Mar 15, 2026 +10
No, 2,200 Marines + 2,800 Sailors crewing the ships they are on = 5,000 total. Of the 2,200 Marines, roughly 500 are combat arms. The rest are support elements, mostly air wing.
10
sarmstrong1961 Mar 15, 2026 +30
I'm sure 2,200 Marines can handle 90 million Iranians that are extremely upset about being bombed by Israel and their buddies.
30
[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +70
[deleted]
70
HillarysFloppyChode Mar 15, 2026 +9
When your cousins ask, say "Isn't this what you voted for?" at every question.
9
[deleted] Mar 15, 2026 +24
[removed]
24
funmax888 Mar 15, 2026 +25
died for israel is not something those soldier could be proud of.
25
brnccnt7 Mar 15, 2026 +7
They should refuse to serve Trump and his illegal wars
7
Wizchine Mar 15, 2026 +9
This administration thinks they’re all badass military dudes because someone was able to do a pull up and they all wear a uniform of matching shoes in the same size.
9
despenser412 Mar 15, 2026 +10
Send ICE. They lied and said they were police, they can lie again and say they are also troops.
10
LocoGyopo Mar 15, 2026 +55
At least the people living on Okinawa will be safer until the occupying savages return.
55
Fordinghamster Mar 15, 2026 +17
The Middle East MEUs are based in California. The Okinawa MEU is the only forwardly-deployed MEU and is where it is to serve as a deterrent to China and North Korea. These incompetent fucks are in way over their heads.
17
Wizchine Mar 15, 2026 +7
Half-assed, poorly-planned, and disorganized - just like everything else this administration has touched.
7
Kind-Philosopher5077 Mar 15, 2026 +8
Pedophile president needs to relocate troops for a war he said he already won
8
Positive-Road3903 Mar 15, 2026 +16
...2.2k Okinawa-based US marines relocates... Drastic drop in weekly sexual violence & r@pe cases in Okinawa.. Children can roam free again at night.
16
boxer21 Mar 15, 2026 +22
Our armed forces need to stand down.  
22
Kazath Mar 15, 2026 +6
Iraq 2.0 involved over **300,000** US ground force personnel, including around 80,000 marines. That's excluding the navy and the air force. Iraq had 26 million people in 2003 and is mostly flat deserts. Iran has ~90 million people today and is basically a big f****** mountain range. If there's an invasion coming, you're gonna need a lot more than that.
6
LetTheSinkIn Mar 15, 2026 +26
That’s a sign things must be going well
26
BecauseBatman01 Mar 15, 2026 +40
All the Japanese women can breathe a sigh of relief 😅
40
alezio000 Mar 15, 2026 +11
Aren't these soldiers raping the japanese women over there? I remember reading some articles about them. They basically do this everywhere but Japan was the easiest place to do. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/12/nx-s1-5035032/sexual-assault-cases-involving-u-s-military-personnel-strain-relations-with-japan
11
Tjbergen Mar 15, 2026 +7
Iran army: 650,000, reserves: 350,000
7
ViveLaFrance94 Mar 15, 2026 +8
Look at a topographical map of Iran too.
8
LonnieJaw748 Mar 15, 2026 +6
Never get involved in a land war in Asia. -Vizzini
6
Harbinger2001 Mar 15, 2026 +5
I really doubt realizes it’s Asia.
5
CrispyTarantula117 Mar 15, 2026 +24
Hope their parents are so proud they’re gonna go fight and die for Epstein 🥲🥲🥲
24
Arno_Dorian_11 Mar 15, 2026 +19
Guess Japanese women won't be getting harassed or raped anymore
19
_Hello_Hi_Hey_ Mar 15, 2026 +27
And some of them will never come back.
27
LocoGyopo Mar 15, 2026 +36
And the Okinawans rejoice!
36
Arno_Dorian_11 Mar 15, 2026 +28
Women in Japan can live in peace then
28
B_R_U_H Mar 15, 2026 +15
I thought the “excursion” was over?
15
tartuffenoob Mar 15, 2026 +13
It's over when he feels it in his bones
13
randynumbergenerator Mar 15, 2026 +3
In his bonespurs
3
Embarrassed-Dust718 Mar 15, 2026 +13
Man china is super happy with trump rn
13
Heseemedkij Mar 15, 2026 +6
This will end well for sure
6
Vaginite Mar 15, 2026 +5
this old stupid man is making the world a dangerous place.
5
zeh_shah Mar 15, 2026 +5
Citizens in Okinawa must feel some relief
5
Santarini Mar 15, 2026 +5
To fight a senile pedophile's personal war
5
UnhingedReptar Mar 16, 2026 +4
China could walk right in and take Taiwan without a fight.
4
bubbablk34 Mar 15, 2026 +20
Remember these people live to die former marine here I went to the embassy when it was bombed in Beirut. I’ve been to Grenada. There’s a shield desert storm Iraqi freedom that orange b****** don’t give a shit about the military. They are trying to strip 1 million veterans from their benefits right now to fund this endless stupid war for Israel I’m not gonna get into why he should not be in office. It’s a big shit sandwich. This what happens when you put unqualified people in positions.
20
FEMA_Camp_Survivor Mar 15, 2026 +9
Another quagmire to benefit China and Russia
9
Dcammy42 Mar 15, 2026 +5
Yeah this sounds like a horrible plan to slowly drip troops to invade. I don’t support this war at all, but if we are going to war we shouldn’t be slowly ordering in troops into a hostile area with a small force and an even smaller amount of reinforcements. It’s just asking for more casualties.
5
steve2166 Mar 15, 2026 +5
its so heart breaking we are going to waste lives for this pedophiles war.
5
Medical_Arugula3315 Mar 15, 2026 +3
Republicans really called everyone a pedophile and then voted in the king of pedophiles. Now we're going to war and bombing children just to distract from it. Hard to be a shittier or more hypocritical American than a Republican these days.   
3
mike_hawk_420 Mar 15, 2026 +5
They say most empires last 250 years. What perfect timing for this all to come tumbling down
5
WhiskeyCup Mar 15, 2026 +5
I don't know how "support the troops" mfers can say that but send the troops into meat grinders like Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Iran. None of the objectives were achieved, just dead soldiers and unimaginable profits for a few corporations.
5
NovelDraft5175 Mar 15, 2026 +4
Did you forget trumpstein is a pedophile and all over the epstein files?
4
No-Weakness-2035 Mar 15, 2026 +3
What’s worth considering is that these are the marines whose job it is to defend Taiwan if China makes an amphibious assault
3
ItsRaampagee Mar 15, 2026 +12
Will they be the sacrificial lambs? You know to get the whole boots on the grounds thing spewd up? To rally the patriots behind the coming slaughter?
12
chungleee Mar 15, 2026 +46
Surely China will make a move on Taiwan now??
46
Equivalent_Bunch_187 Mar 15, 2026 +101
Not yet. They can let the US deplete manpower and resources first as well as wait for what will in all likelihood become a very anti war sentiment after a while where US citizens don’t care about Taiwan and don’t want to get involved.
101
Lone_Vagrant Mar 15, 2026 +30
Hardware out of South Korea, troops out of Japan. Just waiting for cancellation of military supplies to Taiwan.
30
nickrei3 Mar 15, 2026 +14
at this rate Taiwan will be on the menu, and only in dessert section …
14
Multicultural_Potato Mar 15, 2026 +52
People have been saying this for years. Yes this is the weakest the US has been but it’s not China’s MO. Only reason they invade is if the US abandons the one China policy. End of the day China is all about trade. A war in Taiwan would not be good for business. They’ve also been enjoying win after win these last few years. Going to war in Taiwan is literally gonna throw everything they’ve worked for these last few decades away.
52
HooleyDoooley Mar 15, 2026 +8
No chance, this is the classic mistake of attributing a US Govt mindset to the Chinese government. They're a lot smarter than to just straight up invade and f*** up both mainland China and the island.
8
Plane_Crab_8623 Mar 15, 2026 +19
Young American cannon fodder. Commanders save your men, refuse to obey orders. Marines save yourselves refuse to be thrown into the fire of the Armageddon cult. Have the courage to do the right thing. Clearly obeying this l commander n Chief is not the right thing.
19
KennethHaight Mar 15, 2026 +6
Okinawa breaths a collective sigh of relief tonight. 
6
Big_Inside_7824 Mar 15, 2026 +3
Drag the boys from Kin Town
3
Stanky_fresh Mar 15, 2026 +3
Don't worry guys, the bombing campaign has been a complete success and the war is almost over. That being said, we just need to deploy 3,500 troops of the Marine Expeditionary Force to protect an airbase in Da Nang. Other than that this war is pretty much already won.
3
blac_sheep90 Mar 15, 2026 +3
This is gonna end badly.
3
NHBikerHiker Mar 15, 2026 +3
And so it begins… Next up: nuclear weapons
3
SithLordJediMaster Mar 15, 2026 +3
War! We're going to war! Would you like to know more? Join the mobile infantry and gain citizenship
3
GreatPretender98z Mar 15, 2026 +3
Not like they were doing anything aside from harassing the local population & tourists.
3
lovemypups21 Mar 15, 2026 +3
This makes me so f****** bummed. I’m against this “not a war” so much, but this hits personally. I have a pregnant friend that’s husband is stationed in Okinawa and I can’t begin to imagine what will be going through her head if he is one them.
3
ihohjlknk Mar 15, 2026 +3
Okinawan women can sleep soundly now.
3
Narradisall Mar 15, 2026 +3
“No boots on the ground.” “No, boots on the ground!”
3
TragicallyDip Mar 15, 2026 +3
Why? Trump has said on multiple occasions that he’s won the war.
3
Damiklos Mar 15, 2026 +3
My sleep deprived self, read this as Middle Earth. Like damn, they starting wars there too now? Hopefully they don't have oil in The Shire.
3
Mo_Jack Mar 15, 2026 +3
So the Marines cannot help if China takes Taiwan? How convenient.
3
Loreki Mar 15, 2026 +3
At least the women of Okinawa can have a safe night out for a few weeks. That's a silverlining.
3
silvr_1_official Mar 15, 2026 +3
US needs to send ICE.. I’m sure they’ll do a great job 🤣
3
40mgmelatonindeep Mar 15, 2026 +3
I wonder how many carrier groups and troops will need to be relocated to the ME before Taiwan becomes a sitting duck. If Im china im waiting till the US gets stretched so thin that taking Taiwan becomes a possibility.
3
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