WSJ: US Considering Deploying Second Carrier Group To Near Israel

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the US is considering deploying a second aircraft carrier group to the Eastern Mediterranean to increase forward posture and deter an expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas.

• The USS Gerald R Ford is expected to arrive in the area on Thursday. It could be joined by the USS Dwight D Eisenhower in the coming weeks. Both carrier groups have nuclear capabilities.
• WSJ: "The U.S. last had two carriers in the region in 2020 after a deadly rocket attack on Camp Taji in Iraq killed two American troops and one British service member."
• Bloomberg reports: "The carrier brings a sophisticated early-warning and defense aircraft, the E-2 Hawkeye, which can provide a 24/7 command-and-control network to supplement Israel’s capabilities."
• The carrier group capabilities could also potentially be used to strike strategic targets within Gaza or provide operational support for the extraction of hostages.
• BBG notes that the Eisenhower group also has advanced missile defence systems which can provide support to Israel's Iron Dome system which could defend, "against long-range ballistic missiles Iran might be tempted to employ on Israeli targets."