The US military is expected to have three aircraft carriers and two additional Amphibious Ready Groups with embarked Marine Expeditionary Units in the Middle East in the coming weeks, creating an unusually large concentration of American naval power as replacement forces arrive before existing units depart.
– The three aircraft carriers are the USS George Washington, USS George H.W. Bush and USS Theodore Roosevelt.
– The Washington and the Bush are currently in the Arabian Sea in support of US military operations in the Middle East.
– The Roosevelt left San Diego over the weekend for a deployment expected to take it to the Middle East, where it is slated to eventually relieve the George Washington, according to US officials.
– The period of overlap will give US commanders three carrier strike groups and their embarked air wings, substantially expanding the combat aircraft, missile defense and long-range strike capabilities available in and around the region.
– The buildup will also include two ARG/MEUs.
– The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, carrying the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is already operating in the Arabian Sea. It includes the USS Boxer, USS Comstock and USS Portland.
– Meanwhile, the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, carrying the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, departed San Diego on Sept. 28, a US official said. The group consists of the USS Makin Island, USS Anchorage and USS John P. Murtha. An MEU includes roughly 2,200 Marines and Sailors and brings additional aviation, ground combat and crisis-response capabilities.
– The concentration is significant beyond the sheer number of ships. Together, the carrier and amphibious forces give Washington greater capacity to conduct strikes, defend US forces and partners, respond to threats to commercial shipping, evacuate civilians or rapidly move Marines ashore during a crisis.
– It also provides a visible deterrent presence at a time of continued tensions with Iran and instability elsewhere in the region.
– The buildup will be temporary. Some of the arriving ships are replacing forces already deployed, and the unusually large US naval presence will decline as those rotations are completed.