Is the Pentagon going to deploy three carrier strike groups in the Middle East as the Trump administration renews bombing against Iran after the midterm elections?

Short answer appears to be ... maybe. But only maybe.

At the moment, officials say the USS George Washington is in the Arabian Sea and the USS George H.W. Bush is in the Indian Ocean. A third carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, just deployed from California and a fourth, the USS Abraham Lincoln is on the way back to Cali after a long Middle East deployment.

Officials say there *could* be up to three carriers in the Middle East for a time coming weeks: GW, GHWB and TR. But that seemingly depends on what POTUS decides to do with Iran.

It's also possible the TR simply replaces the GHWB. GHWB deployed back in March.

Similarly, the Makin Island ARG/MEU, including the 13th MEU, just deployed from Cali. It could overlap with the Boxer ARG/MEU that has been in the Middle East for some time, or quickly replace it. The Boxer group also deployed in March.

At the moment, the Pentagon is keeping options on the table.