U.S. Sends Roosevelt and Makin Island Groups to Middle East

The U.S. military is sending the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious ready group toward the Middle East, a U.S. official said, in a deployment that could place three American aircraft carriers in the region. The movements come as President Donald Trump says renewed strikes on Iran after the November midterm elections are possible, though he has not announced a decision to launch them. The two groups departed San Diego on September 27 and September 28, respectively, according to accounts of the deployment. Together, they carry about 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines, according to the official. The Makin Island group includes the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed the deployment’s eventual force arrangement or a firm arrival date. The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington are already reported operating in the region. If the Roosevelt joins them, it would bring the number of U.S. carriers there to three. Reports place the Roosevelt’s arrival in November, with some accounts projecting it by the end of the month. That remains a forecast, not a confirmed arrival or final deployment plan.