Caption: An Israeli navy submarine cruises near the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Kaan Deval in the Mediterranean sea in the bay of Haifa off of the northern Israeli coastal city on February 28, 2026. AFP/Jalaa Marey

Summary

• The US has assembled a major force package in the Middle East that could support a sustained campaign against Iran, following strikes Trump said targeted Tehran’s naval and missile capabilities.
• More than a dozen US warships are in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, plus nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships.
• A second carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, is operating in the Mediterranean with additional destroyers—an unusually large two-carrier posture.
• The US has surged airpower, including F-22s, F-35s, F-15s, F-16s and KC-135 refueling aircraft to extend fighter operations.
• Air defenses have been reinforced on land and at sea, while tens of thousands of US troops at regional bases remain potential targets for Iranian retaliation, as seen in past missile attacks that were intercepted.

 

THE massive US military presence in the Middle East, including warships, fighter jets, and refueling aircraft, lays the foundation for a major campaign against Iran.

Below, AFP examines key US military assets deployed in the region, after Washington launched strikes that President Donald Trump said were targeting Tehran’s naval and missile forces.

Ships

Washington currently has more than a dozen warships in the Middle East, including one aircraft carrier — the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is operating in the Arabian Sea — nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships.

The USS Gerald R Ford — the world’s largest carrier — is deployed in the Mediterranean Sea along with several more destroyers. The carrier took on food, fuel and ammunition at Souda Bay on the island of Crete earlier this week, then left port on Thursday. Satellite imagery showed it several hundred miles west of the Israeli port of Haifa the following day.

Both carriers are crewed by thousands of sailors and have air wings comprised of dozens of warplanes. It is rare to have two of the massive warships in the Middle East at the same time.

Aircraft

In addition to the aircraft on the carriers, the United States has sent dozens of other warplanes to the Middle East, according to open-source intelligence accounts on X, flight-tracking website Flightradar24 and media reports.

These include F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning stealth fighter jets, F-15 and F-16 warplanes, and the KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft that are needed to sustain their operations.

 Air defenses

The United States has also reportedly boosted its land-based air defenses in the Middle East, while the numerous guided-missile destroyers in the region provide air defense capabilities at sea.

US forces on bases

While ground forces are not expected to take part in offensive action against Iran, the United States has tens of thousands of military personnel on bases in the Middle East that are potentially vulnerable to a counterattack.

Tehran launched missiles at a US base in Qatar after Washington struck three Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025, but they were shot down by air defenses. (AFP)