Vermont National Guard soldiers wait for the start of a deployment ceremony at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho on Friday, May 29, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Updated 5:12 p.m. As tensions between the United States and Iran continue, more Vermont National Guard members are pr eparing to deploy to the U.S. Central Command region, a vast military area that includes the Middle East. Hundreds of guard members and their families gathered Friday at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho for a ceremony that recognized service members before their expected deployment to the U.S. Central Command region, which spans from Egypt through the Middle East into Central Asia, which includes Iran.About 500 soldiers from the 3-172 Infantry Battalion of the guard are expected to deploy to the region within the next month or so, according to  Lt. Col. Nathan Fry, who commands the battalion. Guard spokesperson Joseph Brooks said the deployment was planned prior to the start of the war in Iran, although he said the conflict may have an impact on the role that guard members play while deployed.  A map of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility as of May 2026. Credit Erin Petenko “I would not characterize it as part of the current conflict, although the current conflict does impact what they’re doing,” Brooks said, referring to the war in Iran. Brooks did not rule out the possibility that Guard members could become involved more directly in the war with Iran.  “Given that they’re an infantry battalion, they’re there to be available for contingency operations as necessary,” he said.  In an interview after the ceremony, Cpt. Aaron Hildebrand, who is commander of one of the companies of Vermonters that will be deploying, said the group had been preparing for months, and that their primary role in the region is expected to be as a “security force.”  “We’re going over there to provide a security force to protect, you know, the men and women and DOD personnel that are operating in that theater, and protect the equipment and assets that we have in that theater,” he said, referring to the Department of Defense.  Hildebrand said he expects the operation to be similar to a deployment in the region in 2021, in which he served.  Brooks would not comment on where specifically the members are headed, although he said he expects them to be sent to bases across the region. The deployment is expected to last around 10 months, according to Fry.  The battalion’s members receive special training in operating in mountainous terrain and hail from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts, according to Brooks and a National Guard press release.  Vermont National Guard Sgt. Taylor Steele of Port Jervis, New York hugs his three-year-old son Jace at the end of a deployment ceremony at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho on Friday, May 29, 2026. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Maj. Emma Thompson, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, would not provide further details about the deployment. She said that CENTCOM does not provide information about troop movements in order to avoid putting members at risk.  The deployment to the region comes as ceasefire negotiations between the U.S. and Iran continue. The Associated Press and other outlets reported Thursday that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had tentatively agreed to extend the ceasefire but that President Trump had not yet approved the agreement, according to an unnamed U.S. official and Vice President JD Vance.  Earlier in the week, the U.S. carried out strikes in Iran, and Kuwait intercepted incoming Iranian missiles and drones, according to AP reporting.  The war has faced sharp criticism from Vermont’s congressional delegation, who have said it violates the Constitution because it was never authorized by Congress. Attempts to curb the war through legislation have gained momentum in Congress, although they remain stalled after Republicans in the House declined to hold a vote on the bill last week.  Rep. Becca Balint, who also attended the ceremony, said that she expects the House to vote on the bill when representatives return next week.  “If this war powers resolution fails, we have at least a dozen more ready to go,” she told VTDigger. “We’re going to keep bringing it up until this is done. This is a hugely unpopular war across the country.”  “I’ve been very outspoken in not supporting the war,” Balint added. “It doesn’t mean for a moment that I don’t support the men and women who are being sent to harm’s way.”Hundreds of Vermont Air National Guard members were previously deployed to the war in Iran earlier this year. Brooks said those members remain deployed in the region. Correction: Due to an editing error, a nation was left out of a previous version of the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility map. Read the story on VTDigger here: More Vermont National Guard members are deploying to the region around Iran. ...read more read less