PUBLISHED ONMarch 18, 2026 3:53 AMBYSean LerA United States Navy amphibious assault ship, believed to be carrying a Marine Expeditionary Unit, transited the Singapore Strait on Tuesday (March 17).
The USS Tripoli, almost 260 metres long and displacing 45,000 tonnes, is capable of carrying F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft, as well as ship-to-shore landing craft.
Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier told Reuters that about 2,500 additional Marines will be deployed to the Middle East, along with additional sailors.
The Wall Street Journal on March 13 reported that the Marines are from the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a rapid-response force of about 2,200 personnel.
A MEU is a self-contained combat force composed of ground combat, aviation combat and logistics combat elements.
While warships do not usually turn on their maritime automatic identification system — a transponder fitted on all ships and used by vessel traffic systems — CNN reported that ship tracking platform MarineTraffic.com briefly showed an "unspecified US warship", sailing through the South China Sea and nearing Singapore on Tuesday morning.
The US-Israel war with Iran entered its third week this week.
On Tuesday, Joe Kent, who headed the National Counterterrorism Centre, resigned over the conflict.
"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby," Kent wrote in a letter posted to social media.
In a statement to the media, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Kent's letter to Trump included "false claims".
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