New US aircraft carrier to deploy to the Middle East: report

The United States is set to send a new aircraft carrier to the Middle East, according to a report by the US Naval Institute. The USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group will depart from San Diego in the coming weeks for a deployment lasting over seven months. This move comes as the USS George Washington recently returned from Japan, where it had been deployed since last week.

The USS George Washington relieved the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been at sea since November 2025 and faced reports of challenging conditions. The acting Navy secretary has dismissed concerns about these issues. The USS Lincoln is currently preparing for a port call in Thailand next week for its 5,000 crew members. The United States has had an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea for strike missions over Iran since a war with Iran began at the end of February. The US has maintained this presence to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports.