The U.S. military is reportedly considering sending a task force equipped with tanks or other armored vehicles to establish an outpost overlooking oil and gas fields in eastern Syria. The primary aim of this deployment would be to prevent the Syrian regime or terrorist groups, such as ISIS, from seizing control of these resources. Where and to what degree the United States intends to maintain a military presence in Syria has been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation following the start of a major Turkish operation into the northern part of the country two weeks ago, which then precipitated a major American withdrawal. Newsweek, citing unnamed U.S. military officials, was first to report on this potential deployment, which is supposedly pending White House approval, on Oct. 23, 2019. Other outlets, also referencing anonymous sources, have offered corroborating reports. The Washinton Post's Dan Lamothe said that his source indicated the troops would be stationed somewhere in the vicinity of the Conoco Gas Plant, which is situated outside of the Syrian city of Deir Ez Zor. This area has been under the control of U.S.-backed predominantly Kurdish forces from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since 2017.

The concern now is that Turkey's intervention, which has primarily targeted the SDF, has drawn the attention of those forces away from the area and raises risks that Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad, together with his Russian and Iranian allies, or ISIS terrorists may make attempt to retake this strategic area. Within days of the official beginning of Turkey's operation, dubbed Peace Spring, reports had emerged that the United States was considering retaining some sort of residual force in the country to maintain control of these resources and otherwise ensure that ISIS does not make a comeback.

CRS A map showing various zones of influence in Syria as of March 2019, along with various locations of interest. The blue areas, and to a lesser extent the green ones, have significantly grown in recent weeks, while the yellow areas have contracted. The U.S. military position to the west of Deir Ez Zor is the approximate location of the Conoco Gas Plant.

President Donald Trump has also called for the SDF to refocus its efforts near Deir Ez Zor following a U.S.-Turkish deal that saw the evacuation of those local forces from a buffer zone along Syria's border. "Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region!" Trump wrote in a Tweet on Oct. 24, 2019. Whether or not the SDF, in full or in part, will answer this or any other call from the United States remains to be seen. General Mazlum Abdi, who acts as the head of this umbrella organization, has stated his desire to continue working with American forces, despite the U.S. government's acquiescence to Turkey's intervention. He has also said that trust in the United States is at its "lowest." Mazlum has previously announced separate deals with Russia and Assad, as well.

The exact composition of the proposed American force remains unclear. Newsweek's sources initially described the projected task force as "half of an Army armored brigade combat team battalion." CNN reported that the prospective force would include "fewer than two dozen tanks," on Oct. 24, 2019.

US Army An M1 Abrams tank.

Lamothe from The Post states that his source had said the "initial force would likely be "about a company," i.e., a handful of tanks and a couple hundred soldiers," in a Tweet on Oct. 24. "But source doesn't rule out that it couldn't grow from there," he added.

Each of the three combined arms battalions in a standard Army armored brigade combat team has two companies equipped with M1 Abrams tanks and two more mechanized infantry companies with M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, plus a headquarters company and an attached forward support company. Each armor company typically has 14 Abrams in total, while the mechanized infantry companies have an equal number of Bradleys. The entire battalion, not counting the support company, has around 635 personnel in total, making half of this force around 320 personnel. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the total size of the contingent could be up to 500 troops. This task force could include a mixture of Abrams and Bradleys.

CBO A visual breakdown of the maneuver components of a standard Army armored brigade combat team.

It is also worth noting that Newsweek's initial report does not specify what type of battalion within an armored brigade combat team could contribute the forces for this mission. Each one of these brigades in the Army has an organic battalion-sized cavalry squadron that also has Bradleys, along with up-armored Humvees. CNN also reported that the Pentagon could choose a lighter force, suggesting that it might be equipped with Bradleys or 8x8 wheeled Stryker armored vehicles. However, armored brigade combat teams do not have Strykers. U.S. Army Rangers have deployed these vehicles to Syria in the past, however.

That same CNN report said that the personnel would come from U.S. forces already deployed in the region, most likely the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, an armored brigade combat team that is presently in Kuwait. The Army has an armored brigade deployed to that country at all times as part of Operation Spartan Shield, which provides forward-deployed forces to respond to any contingency in the Middle East. These rotating brigades have regularly sent personnel to Syria, as well as Iraq in recent years to support operations against ISIS. This included a detachment of combat engineers that assisted in the lead up to the liberation of the city of Raqqa from those terrorists in 2017.

US Army One of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division's M1 tanks in July 2019.

It is also possible that the armored brigade combat team in question could contribute personnel from various companies, but would deploy them to Syria in lightly armored vehicles, such as M-ATVs and up-armored Humvees, as well as tactical trucks. These types of vehicles, along with militarized pickup trucks and SUVs, have been the primary modes of transport for both U.S. special operations and conventional forces in Syria for years. The Army is also no stranger to reconfiguring various types of units as light infantry, armed with standard small arms and heavier weapons, including Javelin and TOW anti-tank guided missiles and mortars, for static security and other more limited missions.

US Army US Marines, supporting US special operations forces, fire a Advanced Mortar Protection System at an undisclosed outpost somewhere in Syria.