USS George HW Bush arrives in Central Command area, giving US 3 aircraft carriers in region

Bush joins Ford and Lincoln as Washington maintains heavy naval presence amid stalled ceasefire negotiations with Iran

The USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier has arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility, the force announced Thursday, bringing the total number of American carrier strike groups in the region to three.

The carrier is sailing in the Indian Ocean, CENTCOM said on X.

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) sails in the Indian Ocean in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, April 23. pic.twitter.com/oDcTM6YMLF

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 23, 2026

The Nimitz-class carrier departed Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia in late March, reaching the region after rounding the Cape of Good Hope.

The Bush joins the USS Gerald R Ford, which returned to the Middle East earlier this month after repairs in Croatia, transiting the Suez Canal into the Red Sea alongside destroyers USS Mahan and USS Winston S. Churchill. The USS Abraham Lincoln is currently operating in the northern Arabian Sea.

The three-carrier presence marks a significant concentration of US naval firepower in the region amid the ongoing conflict with Iran and stalled ceasefire negotiations.

The US formally announced a naval blockade on Iranian ports on April 13, with Central Command reporting that forces have directed 33 commercial vessels to turn around or return to Iranian ports since the blockade began.