The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will sail from the East Coast for Europe on a regularly scheduled deployment — but its presence also gives President Trump a third aircraft carrier option as he weighs what sort of military response the US should provide amid escalating strikes between Israel and Iran.

The Ford was previously deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean as a show of strength and to provide options to Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.

The US Navy already has the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, and is sending the USS Nimitz to sail toward U.S. Central Command from the Indo-Pacific.