Tracking US military assets
in the Iran war

 

What is the US military committing to the war in Iran? And what does that mean for a potential conflict with China?

Last updated: 3:30 p.m. (ET), 04/24/2026

Operation Epic Fury is stressing military capabilities—aircraft carriers, bombers, missile defense systems—in ways that will have an impact in other theaters around the world. That includes US efforts to credibly deter Chinese aggression and prevail against China in a future conflict. Monitoring the military assets that are relevant to US strategy in the Indo-Pacific and currently deployed to Iran offers insight into how the war might affect the US military’s readiness to meet the threat posed by Beijing—the most consequential challenge the United States faces.

Actual numbers of US inventory and deployment data are classified. This tracker, developed by the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Forward Defense team, provides weekly estimates for a subset of assets where open-source information is most reliable.

Biggest developments as of April 24, 2026:

• Seventy-five percent of all available US carriers are now committed to Operation Epic Fury, as the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) and its destroyer squadron arrived in the Middle East April 23.
• US carriers, destroyers, and amphibious ships are enforcing the US blockade of Iranian ports.

Key takeaways as of April 24, 2026:

• Aircraft carriers: Three of four available US aircraft carriers—the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), and the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)—are deployed to support Operation Epic Fury. US officials indicated that the United States could have three carriers deployed to the region for some time.
  • The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was set to be decommissioned in May 2026, decreasing total US inventory to ten. In March 2026, the US Navy decided to extend the Nimitz’s service life to March 2027, with unclear impacts on its readiness.
  • With more than 300 days at sea, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has been deployed longer than any other carrier since the end of the Vietnam War.
    
• Mine countermeasures: Two of four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships—the USS Pioneer (MCM-9) and USS Chief (MCM-14)—are reportedly en route to the Middle East. One of four littoral combat ships equipped with mine countermeasures mission packages—the USS Canberra—is in the Arabian Sea supporting the US blockade. Another, the USS Tulsa, passed through the Strait of Malacca in early April, and is likely to be nearby, though its location is not yet confirmed.
  • The US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, has three littoral combat ships (LCS) outfitted with mine countermeasures mission packages. In mid-March, two were in Singapore for a “scheduled maintenance and logistics stop,” with the third reportedly in the Indian Ocean—presumably to avoid Iranian attacks.
  • LCS are modular and can be outfitted with a variety of mission packages. Only four of the twenty-eight LCS have been equipped with the mine countermeasures mission package, according to the Navy. 
  • The Navy decommissioned four of its eight Avenger-class ships assigned to the US Fifth Fleet in September 2025. The four remaining Avengers are homeported in Sasebo, Japan.

• Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA)/Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD): One of the three ships available from the LHA/LHD classes—the USS Tripoli (LHA-7)—is committed to Operation Epic Fury as part of the deployment of an amphibious ready group and Marine expeditionary unit (ARG-MEU). Another, the USS Boxer (LHD-4), is reportedly en route to the Middle East.
  • The USS Tripoli group, homeported in Japan, is operating in the Arabian Sea.
  • The USS Boxer group, homeported in San Diego, is on its way to the region, but it remains unclear whether it will join or replace the Tripoli.
  • The only other known deployed LHD is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) in the Caribbean.
  • A 2024 GAO report noted that LHDs suffer from a high rate of maintenance issues.
  • Following the July 2020 fire and the eventual decommissioning of the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), LHA and LHDs are not able to meet the Navy and Marine Corps’ goal of having 80 percent of the force ready to deploy.

• Amphibious transport dock (LPD) and dock landing ships (LSD): The USS New Orleans (LPD-19) and the USS Rushmore (LSD-47) are with the USS Tripoli ARG-MEU in the Arabian Sea.
  • The USS Boxer group includes the USS Portland (LPD-27) and USS Comstock (LSD-45).
  • The Government Accountability Office assessed in 2024 that nine out of ten LSDs were in “poor material condition.”

Analysis: Amphibious ready group deployments

The USS Boxer amphibious ready group and Marine expeditionary unit (ARG-MEU) is near Guam and reportedly on its way to the Middle East, where the USS Tripoli amphibious ready group is operating. The USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group is currently in the Caribbean. The deployment of a third ARG-MEU—typically comprising an LHA/LHD and a combination of two LPD/LSD—matches Marine Corps Commandant General Eric Smith’s plan for three forward-postured ARG-MEUs. However, under current maintenance and training realities, deploying the USS Boxer ARG-MEU now is a surge of US capabilities and does not signify a true achievement of the commandant’s goal. Deploying the USS Boxer early could limit the availability of ARG-MEUs in the future and prevent the United States from achieving a sustainable and ready three-forward-postured ARG-MEU plan. Unless the United States builds more ships for ARG-MEUs, the overextension of this limited capability will have significant long-term readiness implications.

Check out the Forward Defense program’s work on US shipbuilding here.

• Arleigh Burke-class destroyers: An estimated 33 percent of the entire available destroyer class is deployed in Operation Epic Fury.
  • Arleigh Burke-class destroyers spend an average of nine years (27 percent of their thirty-five-year service life) in maintenance.
    
• B-1 bombers: 60 percent of the mission capable B-1 fleet is conducting strikes as part of Operation Epic Fury, with all operating from Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in the United Kingdom.
  • The US maneuvered three more B-1 bombers to RAF Fairford on March 26. This likely exceeds the record for a concentrated B-1 deployment in the post-Cold War era.
    
• B-2 bombers: B-2 deployments are highly classified. An estimated 26 percent of the entire available fleet could be deployed for Operation Epic Fury.
  • Based on a statement from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, it is likely that B-2s conducted the eighteen missions in Operation Epic Fury that were flown out of the United States.  
  • B-2 bombers take an average of 119 maintenance hours per flight hour following a bombing mission. This indicates that B-2s used in Operation Epic Fury might be currently unavailable, along with an unknown number currently under programmed depot maintenance.
    
• E-3 AWACS aircraft: An estimated 63 to 71 percent of the total available E-3 AWACS are deployed in Operation Epic Fury.
  • An Iranian drone severely damaged an E-3 AWACS at Prince Sultan Airbase, Saudi Arabia, on March 27.
  • In 2024, slightly more than half of the Air Force’s AWACS fleet was assessed to be “mission capable”—able to carry out at least one of the platform’s key missions, which includes air surveillance—and the aircraft is in the process of being retired.

• MQ-9 Reaper: The total number of MQ-9s used in Operation Epic Fury is not known.
  • The United States rotates MQ-9s in “orbits,” in which several of the airwing are loitering over enemy airspace at a given time. MQ-9s are capable of sustained day-long loitering missions.
  • Open-source reporting indicates that the United States has lost sixteen MQ-9s since the start of Epic Fury, building on an estimated loss of ten percent of the fleet since 2023.
  • The US Air Force plans to reduce the MQ-9 inventory to 140, though the recent losses of MQ-9s will likely impact this decision.
  • Editor’s note: Previous updates to this tracker included estimates for the cost of the MQ-9 Reapers lost in Operation Epic Fury. Because those estimates were based on the cost of an MQ-9 plus its associated equipment, they were incorrect and have been removed.

• KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-46 Pegasus: An estimated 33 percent of mission capable KC-135s and KC-46s are involved in refueling missions in Operation Epic Fury. These planes are critical to support sustained air missions.
  • Iran has damaged or destroyed approximately a dozen aerial refuelers, although exact numbers are not known.
  • The US inventory of refuelers is large but finite. The US does not plan to purchase more KC-135s, but does intend to purchase more KC-46s.
    
• Patriot missile batteries: An estimated 7 to 11 percent of available Patriot batteries are in the Middle East.
  • Open-source reporting indicates that there is at least one Patriot battery in Saudi Arabia and one in Qatar, and four batteries were transferred to the region in spring 2025.
    
• THAAD systems: An estimated 29 to 43 percent of available US THAAD systems are committed to Operation Epic Fury.
  • Out of an estimated five operational THAAD systems that are outside the continental United States, two to three of them are in the Middle East. One is in Jordan and one is in Israel. It’s unclear if the second THAAD battery deployed to Israel in spring 2025 remains in place. The other two are permanently deployed in Guam and South Korea, respectively.
  • In March, the United States also reportedly moved up to 48 THAAD interceptors from the THAAD launchers in Korea to the Middle East.

About the authors

Joe Costa is the director of the Atlantic Council’s Forward Defense Initiative.

Theresa Luetkefend is an associate director with the Forward Defense Initiative.

Moss Gillespie is a young global professional with the Forward Defense Initiative.

related content

Explore the programs