The United States has announced its intention to increase its military presence in the Middle East with the decision to send a second aircraft carrier, according to the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. An unnamed US official speaking to the Associated Press (AP) stated that the US plans to have two aircraft carriers in the region next month, following the increase in attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. The official reported that Hegseth has ordered the USS Carl Vinson warship currently in the Pacific Ocean to set sail towards the Middle East, while also signing an order on Thursday to keep the USS Harry S. Truman warship stationed in the Red Sea in the Middle East for at least another month. The report highlighted that the presence of two US aircraft carriers in the region simultaneously would also send a “clear deterrent message” to Iran, a supporter of the Houthis. President Donald Trump, in a statement on March 19 on his Truth Social account, had stated that the Houthis would be “completely wiped out” by US airstrikes and warned Iran to immediately stop providing them with military equipment. As the USS Vinson is expected to reach its assignment by early next month, the US has deployed two aircraft carriers in the region for a second time in the past six months. The USS Harry S. Truman, continuing its operations against the Houthis in the Red Sea, was scheduled to depart towards Norfolk, Virginia by the end of March.