U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment of the USS Tripoli, an America-class landing helicopter amphibious assault ship, and its attached 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is comprised of about 2,200 marines, to the Middle East, Axios reported on March 13. Hegseth's decision to send the group was made after U.S. Central Command requested more naval forces for the ongoing war with Iran.

The U.S. Navy currently has two carrier strike groups, both of which are accompanied by two destroyers and attack submarines, six independently deployed destroyers and three littoral combat ships, as well as several other support vessels, deployed in the Middle East. Additionally, the USS George H.W. Bush strike group completed its predeployment training exercises earlier in March, meaning it could be deployed to the Middle East if necessary, potentially to replace the USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group. One of the ships sailing with the Tripoli, the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Robert Smalls, was previously slated to return to the United States and be replaced by a destroyer, which left San Diego in February.