More than 500 soldiers from the Patriot Missile Battalion will leave for the Middle East as soon as next month. The news came as a shock to many on post but officials say the Patriot Unit has known about the possible deployment and is prepared to leave. While overseas their main mission will be protecting the troops on the ground from air missile attacks. This deployment will bring the total number of Fort Bliss Troops in the Middle East up to 5,000.