The United States plans to send a third aircraft carrier and additional Marine forces to the Middle East, two US officials told Fox News.
The deployment involves the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, travelling with the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.
Officials outlined the plan on October 1 and expected the forces to reach the region by the end of November. Roosevelt’s strike group includes about 6,000 sailors.
Together, the Marine unit and amphibious group comprise roughly 4,200 personnel. Roosevelt departed San Diego on September 27. The Marine and amphibious forces sailed the following day.
Read: USS Gerald R. Ford Leaves Middle East After Iran Ops
Under the plan, Roosevelt would join the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington. Washington arrived in August to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln.
US Deploys Aircraft Carrier to Middle East Amid Iran Tensions
Meanwhile, a newer US Navy release records Roosevelt’s arrival at Yokosuka, Japan, on October 16. The Navy described the visit as a maintenance and resupply stop before the strike group participated in a bilateral exercise.
