US deploys aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush to Middle East

WASHINGTON, March 28 (YPA) – The United States has moved to bolster its military presence in the Middle East by deploying the “Bush” carrier strike group, in a step that underscores rising regional tensions, CBS News, citing informed sources, reported.

According to the sources, the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush is set to deploy to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, with expectations that it could take part in ongoing operations against Iran.

CENTCOM, one of the Pentagon’s principal combatant commands, oversees U.S. military activities across the Middle East and is regarded as among the most active due to the strategic sensitivity of its area of responsibility.

In the same context, the sources said the guided-missile destroyer USS Ross, part of the Bush strike group, departed Norfolk, Virginia, last Wednesday. Meanwhile, USS Donald Cook and USS Mason left Florida earlier this week to join the U.S. military operation against Iran, dubbed “Epic Rage.”

The network added that the Bush strike group had completed a series of intensive drills earlier this month, designed to ensure readiness for large-scale combat operations.

In a related development, the United States had deployed two carrier strike groups to the region during the early weeks of the war on Iran, led by USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln. However, the Ford experienced a fire onboard, prompting it to divert to Souda Bay in Crete, Greece, early last week for necessary repairs.