Tennessee Air National Guard deployed to Middle East as part of war in Iran

The Tennessee Air National Guard was deployed to the Middle East in February as part of President Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury in Iran. 

Gov. Bill Lee said at a news conference Tuesday he didn’t know how many members or from which bases the state National Guard were sent, but hoped that the conclusion of the war was a “positive one.”

Once Trump federalizes the National Guard, Lee has no authority over the troops, and his access to information is limited to what the administration will share with him. Tennessee has Air National Guard bases in Knoxville and Memphis, and other operations in Chattanooga and Nashville. 

The war in Iran has primarily been fought through a bombing campaign rather than traditional boots-on-the-ground combat. During a new conference Monday, Trump told reporters U.S. military personnel had struck 5,000 targets in Iran since the start of the war on Feb. 28. 

No announcement was made when Tennessee National Guard soldiers deployed for the operation. In January, when 20 members were deployed to Kuwait as part of another operation, the state National Guard made an announcement and Lee visited the troops overseas. A similar news release was sent out in September 2024 when 700 soldiers were also sent to Kuwait. 

Asked Tuesday if he felt Iran presented an imminent threat to America before the bombing started, Lee said he didn’t have the information to make a determination. But he added, “I do know that Iran has chanted ‘death to America’ for decades and they are a clear threat to sovereignty and freedom around the world.”