U.S. Media: Pentagon Prepares to Deploy Second Aircraft Carrier to the Middle East

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on February 11, the U.S. Department of Defense has instructed the second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare for deployment to the Middle East.

The report cites U.S. officials as saying 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 aircraft carrier is the USS George H.W. Bush, which is currently conducting a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia, potentially accelerating the exercise schedule.

The report also states that the deployment order could be issued "within hours," but emphasizes that President Trump has not yet formally given the order to deploy the second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, and plans may be subject to change.

Currently, the U.S. Navy's USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is deployed in the Middle East. In an interview with Axios on the 10th, Trump said he is considering sending a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East in preparation for military action if negotiations with Iran fail.

The last time the U.S. deployed a "dual carrier" presence in the Middle East was in April 2025, when the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group and the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group launched large-scale airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen.