USS Theodore Roosevelt Expected to Join Two U.S. Carriers in Middle East

The New York Times, citing a U.S. military official, said Sunday that the Nimitz-class carrier would bring the American presence in the region to three. Neither the Pentagon nor U.S. Central Command has publicly confirmed the ship’s arrival schedule.

Arrival Expected Within a Day

A U.S. military official told the Times that the USS Theodore Roosevelt would join two other U.S. aircraft carriers in the Middle East “within the next day.” Anadolu Agency, which reported the same account, also noted that Washington had not issued its own confirmation.

If that account holds, the carrier would reach the region on Monday, Nov. 16.

Two Carriers Already on Station

The two carriers already operating there are the Japan-based USS George Washington and the Norfolk-based USS George H.W. Bush, according to the U.S. Naval Institute’s Nov. 9 fleet tracker, which placed both in the Arabian Sea.

USNI News has said the Roosevelt was expected to relieve the George Washington strike group, which entered the Middle East in mid-August. It remains unclear how long any three-carrier overlap would last.

Navy leaders recently told Bush families to plan for a worst-case 12-month deployment and that the ship would miss the holidays, MS NOW reported.

The Transit From Singapore

The Roosevelt strike group arrived in Singapore on Nov. 6 and left on Nov. 9, USNI News reported. The carrier, the cruiser USS Chosin and the destroyer USS Decatur then sailed west through the Malacca Strait and were in the Indian Ocean, en route to Central Command, as of Nov. 13.

The destroyer USS Paul Hamilton, which had been part of the group, sailed east into the South China Sea instead, USNI said. Carrier Air Wing 11 is embarked on the Roosevelt.

The ship left San Diego in late September and took part in the Keen Sword 27 exercise in the Western Pacific before crossing toward the Indian Ocean.

Buildup Outpaces Public Confirmation

A third carrier in the Middle East has been discussed for weeks as Washington weighs further moves related to Iran. Clash Report previously noted that the Roosevelt was not expected to reach Central Command’s area before mid-November.

President Donald Trump said on Nov. 9 that another carrier was “sailing over and just arriving in the Middle East, so we have three,” and that the ships were “locked and loaded.” The Navy has still not announced that the Roosevelt has entered the region.

USNI has cautioned that carrier positions are approximate and that the service rarely confirms them in real time. Until the Pentagon or Central Command speaks, the one-day arrival window remains an account from a single official, reported by the Times.