The San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Boxer pulled into Pearl Harbor Sunday as part of its larger journey to the Middle East with two other ships and 2,500 members of Camp Pendleton’s 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to local reports in Hawaii.
The Trump administration has ordered the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group to join other U.S. ships and troops to the Middle East, possibly to help carry a ground war against Iran.
It is common for warships to swing by Pearl Harbor when they’re headed to the Indo-Pacific or Middle East and to stop on the way back for liberty leaves.
The next leg of the Boxer’s expedition could be Guam, where ships make a final stop before going deep into the Indo-Pacific.