The United States military continues to carry out attacks on Iran, with President Donald Trump vowing to "strike deeper" into the Islamic Republic. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth added that the US is "accelerating, not decelerating" its war on Iran.

Yet, even as the Pentagon continues to build up the largest force of American warships and aircraft in the region in decades, it’s not clear what additional assets could be deployed.

The United States Navy already has two aircraft-carrier strike groups conducting operations against Iran, with one of the carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), having its deployment extended. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) was operating in the South China Sea when it was redirected to the Middle East in January. The nuclear-powered supercarriers serve as floating airbases.

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"Given the geography and politics in the Middle East, the only way to ensure military operations are executed with the best risk management is to make the options the aircraft provides invaluable," said Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology in the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation. "Specifically, the ability to sustain strike operations from international waters without constraint."

No other carriers were immediately available as the Trump administration began to move the U.S. military into place. Having the two CSGs was seen as vital to the mission.

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"Several Persian Gulf and European countries either refused or restricted U.S. air operations from their bases or in their airspace. To improve the tempo and reach of strike operations, U.S. aircraft could operate from carriers in the Arabian Sea where they would not be subject to host restrictions," explained Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.

In an email, Clark said that the two aircraft carriers allowed the U.S. to conduct continuous flight operations, with each carrier operating on 12-hour shifts.

Operation Epic Fury Is Less Than Epic

Although the current combat mission against the Islamic Republic was given the moniker Operation Epic Fury, it is less epic in terms of assets than what the U.S. Navy deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, when six carrier battle groups and additional amphibious assault ships were directly involved in the initial strike operations in 2003.

A year and a half earlier, during the opening stages of Operation Enduring Freedom to remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, more than 50 US Navy ships, including five aircraft carriers and two Amphibious Ready Groups, participated in the initial strikes.

"US Navy aircraft carriers’ vitality stems from a combination of mobile airpower, command and control capabilities, and the unique ability to operate without the political or physical constraints of land bases," said Dr. Kai Wang, PhD, director for Operational Training and Readiness at CNA, a nonpartisan not-for-profit research organization. "The primary advantage of a carrier is its ability to project power anywhere in international waters."

It is possible the US could have carried out Operation Epic Fury with a single carrier strike group, but additional assets increased the operation's tempo.

"Two carriers are two different threat axes, massively complicating the threat and potential attacks the Iranians would have to contend with," said Salder, who added in an email, "As one carrier exhausts its fuel and crews from combat operations, the second one can step in and keep up the pace."

The additional carrier boosts the capabilities, including the number of aircraft that could be sortied.

The deployment of USS Gerald R. Ford to support the USS Abraham Lincoln further bolstered the defensive capabilities in Israel and the eastern Mediterranean.

"Aircraft carriers essentially serve as mobile air bases. They provide the military with a lot of flexibility, given they can be redeployed geographically at very short notice," suggested Lewis Galvin, lead Americas analyst at private intelligence firm Sibylline.

The US Navy’s supercarriers each have an embarked air wing of 90 aircraft, just slightly fewer than the capacity at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US facility in the region, which operates around 100 aircraft.

"A second carrier also stretches the defender's resources, as it has to account for operations from an additional attack vector. It allows the carriers to rotate attack cycles to ensure near-constant operations," Galvin said in an email.

The US Navy Doesn't Have Enough Carriers

With the pending retirement of the US Navy's oldest supercarrier, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), in the coming months, and the delay of the delivery of the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the service is stretched thin. That required CVN-78's deployment to be extended, following its operations in the Caribbean last fall and earlier this year.

"The USS George H.W. Bush will be the next available carrier," said Galvin. "It's currently finalizing pre-deployment exercises in the Western Atlantic and could be ready in a fairly short time frame."

But the US Navy likely won't add a CSG to support Operation Epic Fury.

"The US is unlikely to deploy a third carrier, but will likely replace the Ford or Lincoln over the next few weeks since both carriers are already extended past their normal seven-month deployment," said Clark.

A temporary deployment of three carriers is possible, but it likely wouldn't last more than a few weeks. Yet, geopolitics may have the final say.

"The US is struggling to deploy additional carriers at the moment," warned Galvin. "Currently, it would be unable to deploy two carriers to a secondary region if a conflict arose, without hindering operational capabilities."

An ongoing concern right now is crew morale and fatigue.

"The Ford was initially due to end its deployment in early March. Reports have already emerged that some crew members are suffering from ailing morale due to the length of the deployment," Galvin added.

Depending on the length of the campaign, the US could deploy additional destroyers to the region, and may also opt to rotate out existing destroyers based on replenishment requirements.

Still, some assistance may already be on the way.

Even as another US Navy flattop won't be dispatched for now, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that the French Navy's flagship, the nuclear-powered carrier Charles de Gaulle, would be redeployed from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean.

The French military isn't likely to carry out offensive operations against Iran. Instead, the air wing from Charles de Gaulle could take over some of the defensive and possibly reconnaissance missions in the Middle East, freeing up U.S. assets.

Long Deployments Require Long Post-Deployment Maintenance

Another concern is what happens after the carrier deployment finally concludes. Operation Epic Fury is hardly routine, and it is likely the carriers taking part in the mission will require longer-than-normal maintenance periods.

"The Ford will likely be out of action for an extended period once its deployment concludes," said Galvin. "Given that Ford is currently on an extended deployment, post-deployment maintenance will likely have to be extended to account for additional wear and tear. This will likely disrupt the US Navy's scheduling."