The USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 31 with three guided-missile destroyers and more than 6,000 sailors, heading to the Middle East to join operations against Iran. Its arrival would give the U.S. three concurrent carrier strike groups in the theater for the first time since the opening phase of the 2003 Iraq War.
The Bush is set to join the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), operating in the Arabian Sea since January, and the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which pulled into Split, Croatia on March 28 for repairs after a non-combat fire broke out in its laundry room on March 12.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) anchored in the Port of Split, Croatia, March 28, following an Adriatic Sea transit from Souda Bay, Greece. Read more https://t.co/dcQmH8Neh9 pic.twitter.com/YnMtdr31aF
— U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet (@USNavyEurope) March 28, 2026
Three sailors were injured and roughly 200 crew members sought treatment for smoke exposure. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle said Tuesday the Ford’s deployment will likely reach 11 months. “We’re going to see a record-breaking deployment by Ford,” Caudle said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event in Washington. The Ford has been underway since June 2025.
Ground forces have also expanded. Elements of the 82nd Airborne Division began arriving in theater last week, two U.S. officials told Reuters, with the deployment expected to total fewer than 1,500 paratroopers.
The USS Tripoli arrived March 28 carrying approximately 2,500 Marines of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and another 2,500 Marines are en route from California.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined Tuesday to rule out sending ground forces into Iran. “You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do,” Hegseth told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran had requested a ceasefire, conditioning any U.S. response on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. A senior Iranian official denied that any such request was made, Al Jazeera reported.
