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), 04/03/2026

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 estimates for a subset of assets where open-source information is most reliable. It will be regularly updated and expanded with new data and expert context.

Biggest developments since last week:

• Current B-1 bomber numbers in Operation Epic Fury likely break the post-Cold War record for a concentrated deployment in one theater. Bombing missions will stack the total number of repair hours needed for B-1s post-war with unknown impacts to readiness. The high-volume use of B-1s will create future windows where US force generation is severely limited.
• The loss of an E-3 AWACS degrades US early warning capability. The United States’ low inventory of E-3s, and a stalled replacement program by E-7 Wedgetails, creates a possible vulnerability.  
• The USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, this week. Its final destination is unknown, but presumably it will go to the Middle East. The USS Gerald R. Ford is in Split, Croatia, to continue repairs following an onboard fire. If the Ford remains deployed past April 15, it will break the post-Vietnam War carrier deployment record of 294 days.    

Key takeaways as of April 3, 2026:

• Aircraft carriers: One of four available US aircraft carriers—the USS Abraham Lincoln—is deployed to support Operation Epic Fury. US officials announced this week that it will be joined by a second one. US officials also indicated that the United States could have three carriers deployed to the region for some time.
  • The USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) has deployed and will reportedly join Operation Epic Fury. It is still in the Atlantic.
  • The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which was also deployed to support the war, is unavailable after an onboard fire. It is currently in  Split, Croatia, for repairs. It will likely stay in the region after the repairs.
  • The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was set to be decommissioned in May 2026, decreasing total US inventory to ten. However, in March 2026, the US Navy decided to extend the Nimitz’s service life to March 2027, with unclear impacts on its readiness.
  • The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) has finished maintenance, is training off the coast of San Diego, and is preparing for deployment to a location not yet publicly disclosed.
    
• Mine countermeasures: It is unclear if there are any ships with mine countermeasure capability involved in Operation Epic Fury.
  • The US Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, has three littoral combat ships (LCS) outfitted with mine countermeasures mission packages. In the week of March 15, the Navy confirmed that two are currently 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 Mine Countermeasure 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), with another, the USS Boxer (LHD-4), reportedly en route to the Middle East.
  • The USS Tripoli, homeported in Japan, has joined the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea in support of ongoing operations. The USS Tripoli arrived at Diego Garcia as of March 23.
  • The USS Boxer (LHD-4) amphibious ready group reportedly deployed to the Middle East from San Diego.
  • 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) arrived with the USS Tripoli ARG/MEU in the Arabian Sea. The USS San Diego, which was previously operating with the group, is in port in Sasebo, Japan.
  • The lack of a second LPD/LSD reduces the group’s operational effectiveness.
  • The USS Boxer ARG contains 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) reportedly deployed to the Middle East and reached Hawaii March 29, joining the USS Tripoli amphibious ready group currently at Diego Garcia, and the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group 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 26 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.
  • B-2 bombers take an average of 119 maintenance hours per flight hour following a bombing mission. This indicates that at least the four B-2s used in the early phases of Operation Epic Fury might be currently unavailable, along with an unknown number of the seven B-2s that flew in the June 2025 strikes the United States and Israel conducted against Iran (Operation Midnight Hammer) and 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 twelve MQ-9s since the start of Epic Fury, building on an estimated loss of ten percent of the fleet since 2023.
  • MQ-9 losses in Epic Fury will cost the United States $192 to $678 million dollars.
  • 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.

• KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-46 Pegasus: An estimated 33 percent of mission capable KC-135’s and KC-46’s 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-135’s, but does intend to purchase more KC-46’s.
    
• 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 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.

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