WASHINGTON —The Pentagon is dispatching a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East as President Trump is reportedly weighing whether to ramp up the war against Iran after the midterms.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group departed San Diego on Sunday, carrying up to 9,000 to 10,000 service members as Trump mulls over his next steps with Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Already, the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington are stationed in the region, the latter of which relieved the USS Abraham Lincoln in August after its record-setting long deployment and allegedly bleak conditions for its crew.
Due to harrowing reports of weary sailors attempting to jump overboard amid shortages of critical supplies thanks to Iranian strikes that disrupted supply lines in the region, particularly a key port in Bahrain, the Pentagon made plans for the USS Theodore Roosevelt to be ready for a long stay.
This included maximizing its stash of food, hygiene, retail, and other critical supplies before its deployment, something Navy leadership touted last month.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
