The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier has completed the necessary exercises and is preparing for deployment to the Middle East, reports the U.S. Naval Institute. Currently, the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carriers are operating in the region.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing military operation by Israel and the U.S. against Iran, the third U.S. aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), is being prepared for deployment to the Middle East region. This was reported on Friday, March 6, by USNI News, citing a statement from the U.S. Navy, quoted by DW.
The message indicates that on March 5, this aircraft carrier, along with a group of accompanying ships and aircraft, completed exercises necessary for participation in national-scale missions.
Meanwhile, on March 6, the U.S. Department of Defense published photographs showing another American aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), and the destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) passing through the Suez Canal on March 5, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
It is noted that after passing through the Suez Canal, these military ships will enter an area controlled by the U.S. Central Command, where Iran-backed Houthis have attacked American military ships and merchant vessels from various countries for the past two and a half years. "After the war (between Israel and the U.S.) against Iran began on Saturday (February 28 - Ed.), the Houthis expressed support for Iran, but made no statements regarding whether they plan to resume attacks on vessels," USNI notes.
U.S. Aircraft Carriers in the Middle East
Thus, currently, against the backdrop of the ongoing military operation by Israel and the U.S. in Iran, there are two American carrier strike groups in the Middle East region: the USS Gerald R. Ford is operating in the Red Sea, while USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is in the Arabian Sea, USNI specifies, citing the Marine Tracker service.
On the night of March 7, Iran announced successful attacks against the USS Abraham Lincoln, but the U.S. Central Command refuted Tehran's claims that the American warship "left the battlefield" after "colliding with Iranian missiles and drones."
The U.S. and Israel began massive airstrikes against Iran on February 28.
