President Trump’s latest threat that a second aircraft carrier group “might be going” to the Middle East shows he’s serious about a possible conflict with Iran, an expert told The Post.
And the additional firepower would be key to intercepting missiles and other counter-attacks on US bases and allies.
Brian Carter, of the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, said Trump’s warning on Tuesday was significant given the lack of aircraft carriers in the region just a few weeks ago.
“To go from less than one, to jump to two now, that is very significant,” Carter said.
“A second aircraft carrier basically expands the range of tasks and military options the US can take in the region.”
While an aircraft carrier strike group presents clear offensive options with its warplanes and long-range missiles would be capable of striking deep within Iran, Carter said the ships’ true worth would be its defensive capabilities.
“The added defenses are the real key, especially against Iranian drones that threaten shipping vessels in the region and US military bases in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other countries,” he explained.
A carrier strike group consists of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that can launch dozes of strike fighters and radar-jamming aircraft, along with guided missile destroyer warships for protection, and often a hunter-killer submarine.
America’s defensive capabilities were on clear display when the USS Cole and USS Bulkeley Arleigh Burke-class destroyers were deployed to the Mediterranean in 2024 and helped intercept a dozen Iranian drones fired at Israel.
Such interceptions would be easily replicated by an aircraft carrier, with the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group shooting down an “aggressive” Iranian drone last week after it approached the vessel.
A strong defense network would be necessary in the region after Iran warned that any strike on the nation would result in all-out war, with Tehran directly threatening American military bases and Israel as possible targets.
The threats led many of America’s Gulf partners — including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman — to lobby Washington against a military strike on Iran lest they find themselves as targets, the Wall Street Journal reported last month.
Tehran notably attacked the Al Udeid air base, in Qatar, last year following America’s involvement in the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
As tensions continue to rise between Washington and Tehran, Saudi Arabia has said it would not allow the US to use its airspace or bases to attack Iran, a senior Gulf Cooperation Council official told Fox News.
While other nations have yet to outright reject use of their facilities, Carter said it would be a moot point if a second aircraft carrier arrives.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is currently the only aircraft carrier in the region, with America’s other major strike groups positioned across the globe.
The USS George Washington is currently stationed in Japan, and the USS Gerald R. Ford — America’s biggest ever warship — is in the Caribbean as part of the Trump administration’s counter-drug operation.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt, which was deployed to the West Coast, was recently spotted in Washington’s Naval Magazine Indian Island, according to USNI’s fleet tracker.
The USS George H.W. Bush departed from its base in Norfolk, Virginia, last week, USNI reported.
