Where Are The Carriers As Of May 11, 2026: 20 Warships Enforce Iran Blockade

Key Points:

• Over 20 U.S. Navy warships, including two carrier strike groups (CSGs), are enforcing a blockade of Iran in the CENTCOM area, having redirected 61 commercial vessels linked to Iran and disabled at least four attempting to breach the blockade.
• The USS George H.W. Bush CSG is conducting flight operations in the Arabian Sea with a visible complement of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and other aircraft, but does not carry 5th-generation F-35Cs, unlike the Abraham Lincoln CSG operating in the same area.
• The Gerald R. Ford CSG is transiting toward Norfolk after 322 days deployed, with its deployment extended twice to support combat operations in the Caribbean and Middle East, and is expected to return soon.
• Three other carriers—the Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Washington, and Theodore Roosevelt CSGs—are currently conducting training and preparations for future deployments in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
• The USS Nimitz is on a liberty port call in Brazil while circumnavigating South America en route to its new homeport in Norfolk, with its service life extended to 2027; meanwhile, the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit is expected to arrive soon in CENTCOM to bolster U.S. expeditionary capabilities in the Middle East.