Thousands of additional American troops are heading to the Middle East, with the US deploying a third aircraft carrier to the region, as the Trump administration pushes for progress in negotiations with Iran and threatens an escalation of war if an agreement is not reached soon, UNN reports, citing AP.
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The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush was dispatched on Tuesday and, according to two US officials, is set to head to the Middle East along with three destroyers. The carrier strike group consists of over 6,000 sailors.
The WSJ also reports, citing US officials, that the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and its accompanying warships are heading to the Middle East, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike groups in the region. According to them, three US aircraft carriers may be in the region in the near future. According to a US Navy press release, the aircraft carrier "Bush" left Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Tuesday. It may take several weeks for the aircraft carrier to reach the region. According to two officials, the aircraft carrier "Lincoln" is in the Arabian Sea, and the aircraft carrier "Ford" is in port in Croatia for repairs.
This, as AP notes, comes as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other US officials.
While most of these troops are part of a pre-war force rotation, some are among the approximately 1,500 paratroopers the Trump administration decided to send to the region last week.
The Trump administration has not said what exactly these troops will be used for, but the 82nd Airborne Division is trained to parachute into enemy or contested territory to secure key areas and airfields. A US Navy ship with approximately 2,500 Marines recently arrived in the Middle East, and another 2,500 Marines are also being deployed from California.
The additional forces, beyond the tens of thousands of troops already in the region, are being sent as US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other administration officials avoid questions about whether the US military will deploy ground troops against Iran.
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"You cannot fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are or are not willing to do, including deploying ground troops," Hegseth told reporters on Tuesday.
He added: "Our adversary now believes there are 15 different ways we can attack them with ground troops. And you know what? There are."
But he also stated that the goal is to reach a negotiated agreement with Iran, because "we don't want to do more militarily than we need to."
Additional resources are heading to the region, as the war has depleted the forces and resources already there, the publication writes.
On March 12, a fire broke out in the laundry room of the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, forcing it to return from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea for repairs at a naval base in Crete.
According to a US Navy press release, the fire damaged seven living compartments aboard the ship, presumably forcing hundreds of sailors to find new sleeping arrangements, and also damaged personal belongings.
Although the "Ford" is currently in Croatia for rest, US Navy leadership said the aircraft carrier is likely to set records for the duration of its deployment. The USS Abraham Lincoln also arrived in the region in January.
"You will witness a record deployment of the aircraft carrier 'Ford'," said Admiral Daryl Caudle, a senior US Navy officer, on Tuesday.
Caudle said the aircraft carrier is likely to spend 11 months on deployment – a term that means the ship will return to Norfolk, Virginia, around late May. The "Ford" was in the Mediterranean before being sent to the Caribbean for a military operation in January that overthrew Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, and then was deployed to support the war with Iran.
"For those who are not in the Navy, even the thought of such a long deployment seems incredible," Caudle said.
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