The United States will deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East and keep the one that is already positioned there in place, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which is already stationed in the region, will be joined by the Carl Vinson carrier strike group, “to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The Carl Vinson group will be on its way as soon as it completes a scheduled exercise in the Indo-Pacific. US President Donald Trump stressed on Monday that US air strikes against the Yemen-based Houthis will continue until they are no longer a threat to “Freedom of Navigation.” “To complement the CENTCOM maritime posture, the [Defense] Secretary [Pete Hegseth] also ordered the deployment of additional squadrons and other air assets that will further reinforce our defensive air-support capabilities,” the Pentagon statement reads.