US discussing whether to send 2nd carrier to eastern Mediterranean
United States officials are discussing whether a second U.S. aircraft carrier should be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean in the wake of the Israel-Hamas crisis, two U.S. officials confirmed.
The USS Dwight Eisenhower was previously scheduled to depart Norfolk, Virginia, later this week for the Middle East, via the Mediterranean Sea.
![PHOTO: The USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in Halifax on Oct. 28, 2022. The Pentagon has ordered the Ford carrier strike group to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel, U.S. officials said Oct. 8, 2023.](https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/9d51b243-9c14-459a-8a0e-0a83413198be/gerald-ford_hpEmbed_20231010-133847_3x2.jpg)
Officials must decide whether it will now remain in the Mediterranean and head to the east to join the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier -- which was deployed on Sunday -- or whether it will relieve the Ford.
Either way, the Eisenhower will soon be in the Mediterranean for the previously scheduled transit and a training rotation.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez