2,300 Marines deploying to Middle East as part of new "crisis unit"

It will include several aircraft and be prepared to move rapidly in the case of “contingencies,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.

The idea for the task force originated in 2013 — before the current US air campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria — and was not related “to the ongoing operations in Iraq,” Kirby said.

A senior Marine Corps officer said last week that the new task force for the Middle East region would be based out of Kuwait.