Trump sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East in escalation against Houthis

The United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, a rare and provocative move as the Trump administration intensifies its bombing campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group — currently operating in the Red Sea — to extend its deployment by at least a month, according to two defense officials, who requested anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.

The USS Carl Vinson and its accompanying destroyers will join the ship as escorts in the coming weeks. The Vinson has been conducting exercises in the East China Sea with the Japanese and South Koreans.

USNI News first reported the extended deployment.

Vinson’s arrival will mark the second time in the last six months that the U.S. has had two carrier strike groups in the Middle East, but the first under the Trump administration.

The two carriers signal a major allocation of resources to the Middle East at a time when the White House and Pentagon insist Asia is where U.S. ships and aircraft should reside. The extension and double deployment will also have knock-on effects for ship repairs, which will need maintenance at already overstretched Navy shipyards.

Since the new campaign against the Houthis began last week, the U.S. has hit dozens of sites in Yemen. Defense officials said they are focusing on missile launch and storage sites, as well as Houthi leadership.

President Trump said Wednesday on his Truth Social account that the Iran-backed Houthis would be “completely annihilated” by U.S. airstrikes and warned Tehran to “immediately” stop supplying them with military equipment.