US military build-up in the Middle East
The US military has repositioned aircraft and naval assets to sites near Iran since mid-January with an additional carrier strike group heading to the region as of February 16, 2026.
Aircraft moved into position
Naval assets (exact locations not known)
US military sites
TURKMEN.
TURKEY
SYRIA
Med. Sea
AFG.
IRAN
ISR.
IRAQ
JOR.
KUWAIT
C
D
4
EGYPT
BAHRAIN
3
2
Red Sea
1
SAUDI
ARABIA
OMAN
UAE
A
B
SUDAN
YEMEN
ERIT.
Arabian
Sea
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
SOMALIA
Aircraft moved into position since
January 22
Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
1
EA-11A BACN (Battlefield communications aircraft)
Al Dhafrah, UAE
2
MQ-4C Triton (High-altitude, long-endurance
unmanned aircraft)
Al Udeid, Qatar
3
RC-135V (Reconnaissance aircraft)
Awali, Bahrain
4
P-8A Poseidon (Reconnaissance aircraft)
Naval assets
A
Northern Arabian Sea
Lincoln Carrier Strike Group:
USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier
USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (Destroyer)
USS Michael Murphy (Destroyer)
USS Spruance (Destroyer)
F/A-18E Super Hornet (Multirole fighter)
EA-18G Growler (Electronic warfare aircraft)
E-2 Hawkeye (Early warning and control)
MH-60S Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
MH-60R Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
F-35C Lightning II (Fighter jet)
Red Sea
B
USS Delbert D. Black (Destroyer)
C
Persian Gulf
USS Santa Barbara (Littoral combat ship)
USS Tulsa (Littoral combat ship)
USS Canberra (Littoral combat ship)
Strait of Hormuz
D
USS McFaul (Destroyer)
USS Mitscher (Destroyer)
Heading to the region
Ford Carrier Strike Group:
USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier
USS Bainbridge (Destroyer)
USS Mahan (Destroyer)
USS Winston S. Churchill (Destroyer)
F/A-18E Super Hornet (Multirole fighter)
EA-18G Growler (Electronic warfare aircraft)
E-2 Hawkeye (Early warning and control)
MH-60S Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
MH-60R Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
C-2A Greyhound (Cargo aircraft)
E
Aircraft moved into position
Naval assets (exact locations not known)
US military sites
TURKMEN.
TURKEY
SYRIA
Med. Sea
IRAN
ISR.
IRAQ
JOR.
KUWAIT
C
D
EGYPT
4
BAHRAIN
3
2
1
Red Sea
UAE
SAUDI
ARABIA
OMAN
B
A
SUDAN
YEMEN
ERITREA
Gulf of Aden
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
SOMALIA
S. SUDAN
Aircraft moved into position since January 22
Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
1
EA-11A BACN (Battlefield communications aircraft)
Al Dhafrah, UAE
2
MQ-4C Triton (High-altitude, long-endurance
unmanned aircraft)
Al Udeid, Qatar
3
RC-135V (Reconnaissance aircraft)
Awali, Bahrain
4
P-8A Poseidon (Reconnaissance aircraft)
Naval assets
Northern Arabian Sea
Lincoln Carrier Strike Group:
USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier
USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (Destroyer)
USS Michael Murphy (Destroyer)
USS Spruance (Destroyer)
F/A-18E Super Hornet (Multirole fighter)
EA-18G Growler (Electronic warfare aircraft)
E-2 Hawkeye (Early warning and control)
MH-60S Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
MH-60R Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
F-35C Lightning II (Fighter jet)
A
Red Sea
B
USS Delbert D. Black (Destroyer)
C
Persian Gulf
USS Santa Barbara (Littoral combat ship)
USS Tulsa (Littoral combat ship)
USS Canberra (Littoral combat ship)
D
Strait of Hormuz
USS McFaul (Destroyer)
USS Mitscher (Destroyer)
Heading to the region
E
Ford Carrier Strike Group:
USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier
USS Bainbridge (Destroyer)
USS Mahan (Destroyer)
USS Winston S. Churchill (Destroyer)
F/A-18E Super Hornet (Multirole fighter)
EA-18G Growler (Electronic warfare aircraft)
E-2 Hawkeye (Early warning and control)
MH-60S Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
MH-60R Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
C-2A Greyhound (Cargo aircraft)
Aircraft moved into position
Naval assets (exact locations not known)
US military sites
GEOR.
ARM.
AZER.
TURKMENISTAN
TURKEY
GREECE
SYRIA
CYPRUS
LEB.
AFG.
Med. Sea
IRAN
IRAQ
ISR.
JOR.
KUWAIT
C
D
EGYPT
4
BAHRAIN
3
QATAR
2
1
UAE
A
B
OMAN
SAUDI ARABIA
Red Sea
Arabian
Sea
SUDAN
YEMEN
ERITREA
Gulf of Aden
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
SOMALIA
S. SUDAN
Aircraft moved into position since January 22
1
3
Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Al Udeid, Qatar
EA-11A BACN
(Battlefield communications aircraft)
RC-135V
(Reconnaissance aircraft)
2
4
Al Dhafrah, UAE
Awali, Bahrain
MQ-4C Triton
(High-altitude, long-endurance
unmanned aircraft)
P-8A Poseidon
(Reconnaissance aircraft)
Naval assets
A
D
Strait of Hormuz
Northern Arabian Sea
USS McFaul (Destroyer)
USS Mitscher (Destroyer)
Lincoln Carrier Strike Group:
USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier
USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (Destroyer)
USS Michael Murphy (Destroyer)
USS Spruance (Destroyer)
F/A-18E Super Hornet (Multirole fighter)
EA-18G Growler (Electronic warfare aircraft)
E-2 Hawkeye (Early warning and control)
MH-60S Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
MH-60R Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
F-35C Lightning II (Fighter jet)
Heading to the region
E
Ford Carrier Strike Group:
USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier
USS Bainbridge (Destroyer)
USS Mahan (Destroyer)
USS Winston S. Churchill (Destroyer)
F/A-18E Super Hornet (Multirole fighter)
EA-18G Growler (Electronic warfare aircraft)
E-2 Hawkeye (Early warning and control)
MH-60S Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
MH-60R Sea Hawk (Navy helicopter)
C-2A Greyhound (Cargo aircraft)
B
Red Sea
USS Delbert D. Black (Destroyer)
C
Persian Gulf
USS Santa Barbara (Littoral combat ship)
USS Tulsa (Littoral combat ship)
USS Canberra (Littoral combat ship)
