The USS Theodore Roosevelt is sailing to join the USS George Washington and USS George H.W. Bush in the region | The carrier left San Diego on September 27 (World News)
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is sailing toward the Middle East. It is expected to become the third American aircraft carrier strike group in the region, alongside the USS George Washington and the USS George H.W. Bush, both already on station.
The Roosevelt departed San Diego on September 27 for a deployment projected to run longer than seven months. The George Washington, which is based in Japan, has been operating in the region since mid-August.
On October 1, an American source told i24NEWS that a third carrier and additional Marines were bound for the US Central Command area of operations. That source did not identify the carrier or say when the reinforcements would arrive, and the Pentagon declined to comment.
Accounts of the Roosevelt's mission differ. Navy officials and defense media have described its voyage as a rotation, with the Roosevelt relieving the George Washington. Today's reports instead have all three carriers in the region at the same time.
In the Gulf, repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks have hit Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. The Wall Street Journal reported that Saudi airlines are relocating aircraft worth up to $4 billion away from the capital. Citing Flightradar24 data, the Journal reported that the number of planes on the ground there fell from 134 on October 8 to 38 by midday Wednesday, a drop of about 72 percent.
Six aircraft have been damaged, with a combined insured value of about $375 million, according to an internal insurance report the Journal reviewed. One of the six was written off.
On October 8, shrapnel struck a Saudia Airbus A320 parked at the airport, and the aircraft caught fire and was destroyed, Reuters reported. Three people were killed, among them an airline captain. On October 10, debris damaged the nose of a Riyadh Air Boeing 787.
Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.
We respect your privacy and will never share your information.
