The U.S. naval buildup in the Southwest Asia region is proceeding. The U.S. Naval Institute Fleet and Marine Tracker for Aug. 12 reported the following:
• The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is on its way from the Western Pacific to the Arabian Sea. It will be joining the USS Theodore Roosevelt but how long the presence of the two carriers will overlap is not clear. The Abraham Lincoln is being escorted by three guided missile destroyers, the USS Frank Petersen, the USS Spruance, and the USS O’Kane. The two carrier air wings include four squadrons of jet fighters each; one on the Abraham Lincoln is equipped with F-35C stealth fighters while the rest are F-18 Super Hornets.
• The Theodore Roosevelt is reported to be operating in the Gulf of Oman. It is also reported to be escorted by three guided missile destroyers, the USS John S. McCain, the USS Halsey, and USS Daniel Inouye.
• The Eastern Mediterranean is playing host to an amphibious-ready group consisting of the assault ships the USS Wasp, the USS New York, and the USS Oak Hill. Together the three ships are carrying more than 2,000 Marines equipped with helicopters and Osprey tilt rotor aircraft.
• Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the cruise missile submarine USS Georgia, which was already in the Mediterranean, into the region, although whether it will stay in the Mediterranean or move on to the Arabian Sea has not been reported. The Georgia is armed with up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles with conventional warheads.
The U.S. Air Force has also deployed a squadron of F-22 stealth fighters to al Udeid air base in Qatar, but they add to an already substantial Air Force presence in the region that includes F-35 and F-15 fighter jets, A-10 attack jets,and air refueling and reconnaissance aircraft in bases stretching from Jordan to the U.A.E.
