The USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the world’s largest aircraft carriers, is now reportedly sailing across the Atlantic en route to the Middle East.AP
About one-third of the US Navy’s deployed fleet primed for potential Mideast operations
Last updated: February 17, 2026 | 02:32
Jay Hilotin, Senior Assistant Editor | GULF NEWS
In a striking display of military might, approximately one-third of the US Navy’s actively deployed fleet is now assembled in the Middle East, primed for potential operations against Iran, as per defence analysts.
The flotilla includes two aircraft carrier strike groups, 15 destroyers, and an unknown number of submarines. Heavy-lift aircraft and tankers just reportedly crossed the Mediterranean, en route to Mideast positions.
It mirrors the force assembled in the Caribbean before US military snatched Venezuelan despot Nicolas Maduro.
This isn’t routine patrolling.