The USS George Washington remains the sole U.S. aircraft carrier operating in the CENTCOM area of responsibility as of early October 2026, conducting sustained F/A-18 and F-35 flight operations in the Arabian Sea to support maritime security and strike missions amid the ongoing Iran conflict. Its predecessor relief, the USS George H.W. Bush, quietly exited the theater in late September and reached a port call in Thailand by October 4, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt departed San Diego in late September on a transit expected to reach the region in coming weeks. Navy policy requires maintaining at least one carrier strike group in the western Pacific, creating pressure for the Japan-based Washington to rotate home once a relief arrives. Operational security limits public announcements on exact timelines, with trader sentiment shaped by carrier availability, crew endurance on extended deployments, and any escalation or de-escalation signals in the conflict zone.