WASHINGTON — For the first time since 2003, three aircraft carriers and their accompanying strike groups are now operating in the Middle East, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
After leaving Naval Station Norfolk in March, the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush arrived in the Middle East on Thursday, according to CENTCOM, where it joins both the Gerald R. Ford and the Abraham Lincoln as part of a historic military buildup to support Operation Epic Fury.
“For the first time in decades, three aircraft carriers are operating in the Middle East at the same time,” CENTCOM said today in a post on X. “Accompanied by their carrier air wings, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) include over 200 aircraft and 15,000 Sailors and Marines.”
Aircraft on the carriers include the F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets along with EA-18G Growlers. Combined, the strike groups include at least nine destroyers.
CENTCOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Breaking Defense to confirm which carriers were concurrently deployed together in 2003.
The Navy previously told Breaking Defense that three carriers — the Carl Vinson, the John C. Stennis and the Abraham Lincoln — may have briefly overlapped in the CENTCOM region in January 2012 when the Lincoln relieved the Stennis. However, the three did not continue to operate together as the Stennis wrapped up its deployment.
The Bush’s arrival in CENTCOM comes as the Ford’s time at sea has dragged on for more than 300 days — marking the longest deployment since the Cold War era and approaching records set during the Vietnam-era deployments. Navy leaders have said that the Ford, which departed Naval Station Norfolk on June 24, 2025, will likely remain at sea for roughly 11 months.
Meanwhile, the Abraham Lincoln left Naval Station San Diego in November, and President Donald Trump announced in January the carrier would head from the Indo-Pacific region to the Middle East amid increased tension between the US and Iran.
Since Operation Epic Fury kicked off in February, US forces have conducted more than 13,000 strikes against Iranian targets, and have damaged or destroyed more than 155 Iranian vessels, CENTCOM said in an update earlier this month.
Naval forces have conducted mine clearance missions in the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump said Thursday that he has instructed the Navy to “shoot and kill” any Iranian vessels that may be laying mines in the waterway. Likewise, US naval forces have been involved in enforcing a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports. Transit through the strait is not blocked for vessels traveling to and from non-Iranian ports.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the blockade has proven successful so far, and that another carrier will join the Abraham Lincoln to enforce it.
“Every ship that the US believes meets our criteria, either Iranian ships or to and from Iranian ports, has been turned around,” Hegseth told reporters today. “As of this morning, 34 total non-Iranian vessels are allowed to transit, and many have, including overnight. Not only is the blockade growing, in fact, a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days.”
Ashley Roque contributed to this report.
