US aircraft carriers are moving around. More firepower is going to the Middle East.

• The US is officially extending the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Middle East.
• The Pentagon is also directing a second carrier to the region while another moves into the Pacific.
• The force posture changes come amid high tensions between the US and Iran and its proxies.

American aircraft carriers are on the move as the US military reacts to the rising tensions in the Middle East.

The US is officially extending the deployment of an aircraft carrier in the Middle East and sending another to the region, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday. A third one is heading to the Western Pacific to maintain a US presence there amid the heightened focus on the Central Command area of responsibility.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to stay in the Middle East region "in support of regional deterrence and force protection efforts," Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said in a statement.

The strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman entered the US Central Command area of responsibility, which covers the Middle East, in mid-December to take over the Navy's yearlong fight against the Houthis in Yemen.

The US military has noticeably intensified its campaign against the Houthis in recent weeks as the Trump administration directs American forces to hit the rebels with airstrikes until they halt their attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Truman strike group has been involved in these efforts.

Parnell said that the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, which is led by the carrier USS Carl Vinson equipped with F-35C stealth fighter jets, will arrive in the Centcom area of responsibility "to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region" after it finishes a scheduled exercise in the Indo-Pacific.

It is unclear how long the two Navy carrier strike groups could overlap in the Middle East, but it's a notable show of force. The Navy last had two carriers in the region in the summer as the Houthis fired missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Pentagon's official force posture update confirms earlier reporting and comes amid high tensions between the Trump administration and Iran and the Tehran-backed Houthis.

Parnell said that Hegseth directed more aircraft to the Middle East. The US has been moving both A-10 attack planes and B-2 stealth bombers to the region. The Vinson also brings with it a considerable air wing.

"Secretary Hegseth continues to make clear that, should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people," the Pentagon spokesman said.

His comments echo those of President Donald Trump, who said on Monday the strikes against the Houthis will continue if the rebels don't stop attacking US ships. He warned that "the real pain is yet to come" for the Houthis and Iran.

As the US masses forces in the Middle East, the Pentagon said that the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group led by the aging USS Nimitz has started a deployment to the Western Pacific, where it will maintain the Navy's aircraft carrier presence there.

There have previously been concerns that an overemphasis on deploying carriers and other warships to the Middle East leaves gaps in the US force presence in the Indo-Pacific, which is home to top US rival China, a priority challenge.