US naval groups depart for expected Middle East deployments

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego on 27 September. The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island and the landing ships USS Anchorage and USS John P. Murtha departed the following day. The Associated Press says the cruiser USS Chosin deployed with the carrier. Nieuws.nl, carrying ANP/Bloomberg reporting, puts the total number of ships being sent at seven. [1] [2] [3] [4]

A US official told AP that the deploying groups carry roughly 9,000 sailors and Marines bound for the Middle East. Two US carriers, USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington, and the USS Boxer amphibious group are already in the region. Roosevelt is expected to relieve George Washington, while Makin Island’s group is expected eventually to replace Boxer. The groups could serve alongside one another for a time. [2] [4] [5]

US officials have described plans that could put three carriers in the region in late October or November. AP reports that three carrier groups were also present there in April. Asked in a TIME interview whether he would intensify bombing after the 3 November US midterm elections, President Donald Trump replied: ‘Possible.’ [4] [5] [6]