The Department of War is preparing the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carriers for deployment. The US currently has three aircraft carrier strike groups operating in the Middle East.
On Friday, the Pentagon reported that the Eisenhower “has completed sea trials, marking the successful early completion of its Planned Incremental Availability (PIA).” A week earlier, the Roosevelt conducted training operations in the Pacific in preparation for a deployment later in the Spring.
There is speculation that both the Eisenhower and Roosevelt aircraft carrier strikes group could be deployed to the Middle East to relieve the carriers operating in the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently operating in the region and may need to be relieved.
The carrier has been on an extended deployment after operating for several months in the Caribbean, then relocating to the Middle East to assist in the war against Iran. The vessel has suffered several issues, including plumbing problems that caused sewage backups and a laundry room fire. After the fire, the Ford spent multiple weeks in port before returning to the waters around Iran.
The USS George H.W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln are also in the Middle East.
The Eisenhower and Roosevelt are likely the only available aircraft carriers to replace the three operating in the Middle East this year. While the US has a fleet of 11 carriers, half are in port for repairs, maintenance, and upgrades. The USS Nimitz is scheduled for decommissioning once the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is completed.
