U.S. to Deploy Additional Aircraft Carrier to Hormuz... Key Targets Revealed

Possible Additional Attacks on Four Key Iranian Ports

Burden of 20 Trillion Won in Annual Carrier Strike Group Maintenance Costs

The United States, which is currently conducting airstrikes on Iran, is considering deploying a third aircraft carrier strike group to Middle Eastern waters. This move reflects the assessment that the current aircraft carriers deployed in the region are insufficient to increase pressure and that additional offensive weapons are needed.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (100,000 tons) of the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet is entering the Busan Naval Base of the Naval Operations Command in Nam-gu, Busan, on the morning of the 5th for logistical loading and crew rest. Photo by Yonhap News

According to foreign media reports on March 17, "The U.S. Department of Defense has issued orders to prepare for the deployment of a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East in anticipation of a potential attack on Iran," and "The Department of Defense is preparing to deploy an aircraft carrier within two weeks, with a carrier that has been stationed on the U.S. East Coast possibly being dispatched." It is reported that the USS George H.W. Bush, which is currently wrapping up training off the coast of Virginia, is the most likely candidate for deployment.

Possibility of Additional Deployment of U.S. Carriers in Training

From the early stages of the airstrikes on Iran, the United States has deployed the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford to the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea, respectively, where they have been conducting operations. Fighter jets launched from these carriers have participated in airstrikes across Iranian territory since late February. Aircraft carriers are regarded as mobile military bases capable of operating fighter jets and simultaneously conducting long-range airstrikes and naval operations. Naval forces built around aircraft carriers, including destroyers, frigates, submarines, and supply ships, can simultaneously conduct airstrikes, surveillance, and defense missions.

The reason the United States is considering the additional deployment of aircraft carriers is that it is difficult to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has declared "closed to shipping." At its narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz is only 33 kilometers wide, with the shipping lane at this point being only 3 kilometers wide in each direction. Yet about one-fifth of global oil consumption is transported through this strait. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) estimates that, as of 2019, Iran possesses more than 5,000 naval mines, which can be rapidly deployed with the assistance of small, high-speed boats.

Ports Likely to Be Targeted: Kharg, Bushehr, and Others

The primary targets for U.S. carrier strike group operations would be four key ports: Kharg and Bushehr in the north, and Bandar Abbas and Chabahar in the south. After then-U.S. President Donald Trump designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2019, Iran significantly reinforced its naval presence at these ports.

In particular, Chabahar Port, located in southeastern Iran and a critical hub connecting India and Afghanistan, is the world's largest oil shipping route. It is situated at a strategic point adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz. If the United States seizes control of Chabahar Port, it could also counter China's Belt and Road Initiative (the land and maritime Silk Road). China has developed Gwadar Port in Pakistan, 72 kilometers east of Chabahar, and secured operating rights for the next 40 years. China is even pursuing the deployment of warships there, directly opposing the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.

The United States is also prepared to strike Iran's Zagros Mountains, where Russian-made surface-to-air missiles and radar systems are located. The U.S. is likely to carry out preemptive strikes in this region and then enforce a no-fly zone, aiming to deter Iranian fighter jets and drones from operating there.

Annual Maintenance Cost of an Aircraft Carrier Exceeds 20 Trillion Won

The key issue is the cost. The U.S. military's strategic assets include nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered submarines, B-1B Lancer strategic bombers, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters. Among these, aircraft carriers have the highest maintenance costs. For example, the annual maintenance cost of the USS Ronald Reagan, which is rotationally deployed to the Korean Peninsula as part of the U.S. 7th Fleet, exceeds 400 billion won. Aircraft carriers are typically deployed as part of a carrier strike group. When accompanied by four Aegis destroyers, two nuclear submarines, and cruisers, the total value can easily surpass 20 trillion won.

Missiles are also a concern. Within just two weeks of war with Iran, the United States has expended several years’ worth of key weapons, raising alarm over the costs of war and the depletion of weapons stockpiles. The Tomahawk cruise missile, a long-range precision strike weapon produced by defense contractor RTX, costs around 3.6 million dollars (about 530 million won) per unit. Over the past five years, the U.S. military purchased only 370 Tomahawk missiles, but according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an estimated 168 Tomahawks were used in just the first 100 hours after the outbreak of war on February 28.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.