Fox News: US preparing to deploy third carrier strike group to Middle East

The US Navy is preparing to deploy a third carrier strike group to the Middle East near Iran in the coming weeks, according to Fox News, Report informs.

The USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) and her Carrier Strike Group, having now completed their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), are expected to depart from Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia sometime before the end of March for a regularly scheduled deployment to the US 5th Fleet Area-of-Responsibility.

However, due to the ongoing hostilities with Iran, it is not known if she will relieve the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), who entered the Red Sea on Thursday and has been deployed now for nearly 11-months, or if she will arrive to further reinforce the US Navy in the Middle East.