The U.S. military has accelerated the deployment of thousands of Marines and sailors to help reinforce its troops fighting against Iran, officials tell Newsmax.

Four officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit are deploying ahead of schedule from the West Coast.

They are expected to sail through the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East region after the Navy was ordered to heighten its posture with additional firepower.

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group includes the USS Boxer amphibious assault ship along with the USS Portland and USS Comstock amphibious transport dock ships.

There are 2,500 Marines, bringing the total to about 4,000 total service members aboard these three amphibious craft. They are equipped with F-35 fighter jets, missiles, and amphibious vehicles capable of launching from the ships to carry out a land assault.

Officials say the sailors and Marines shortened their leave period after completing their certification and training to accelerate their deployment.

The Boxer will join the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship already underway to the Middle East. Both can launch Rolling Airframe and Sea Sparrow missiles in addition to carrying F-35 Lightnings, AV-8 Harriers, tilt-rotor Ospreys as well as a variety of Viper, Venon, Knighthawk, and Stallion helicopters.

The ships that will deploy to the region with USS Tripoli have not been previously reported, but multiple officials tell Newsmax they will be joined by the cruiser the USS New Orleans in the short term.

Amphibious Ready Groups travel in teams of three, and these two initially sailed with USS San Diego amphibious transport dock in the Philippine Sea.

The San Diego will hang back in the Pacific region for maintenance, Newsmax was told, with one official explaining that the Japan-based USS Rushmore amphibious dock is expected to join the pair in the Middle East.

Six amphibious ships will add about 8,000 service members in the region, including 4,000-5,000 Marines.

The news of these additional troops comes as speculation continues to swirl over whether the U.S. will try to capture Iranian islands critical to Tehran’s oil industry.

It also comes as the USS Ford aircraft carrier was pulled from the region for repairs after a fire broke out in the ship’s laundry area.