The Pentagon is preparing to deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on the 11th, the U.S. Department of Defense has instructed the second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Middle East. The report, citing U.S. officials, states that the Pentagon is preparing to deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, expected to depart from the U.S. East Coast in two weeks. This carrier is the USS George H.W. Bush, currently conducting a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia, which may accelerate the exercise schedule. The report also mentioned that the deployment order could be issued “within a few hours,” but emphasized that President Trump has not yet officially ordered the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, and plans may be adjusted. Currently, the U.S. Navy’s Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed in Middle Eastern waters. On the 10th, Trump told Axios News that he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to prepare for military action if negotiations with Iran fail. The last time the U.S. deployed a “double carrier” force in the Middle East was in April 2025, when the Harry S. Truman and Carl Vinson carrier strike groups launched large-scale airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen.