The US military is preparing for the possibility of sending thousands of additional personnel and naval assets to the Middle East in the coming weeks, according to a Friday report by The Washington Post.

The Pentagon is considering moving as many as three aircraft carrier strike groups, along with their accompanying warships, into the region. The proposed deployment would give American commanders greater flexibility in managing military operations as the conflict with Iran continues.

Administration weighs its next move in the Iran war

The discussions come as President Donald Trump’s administration evaluates its next steps in a war that has now stretched into its eighth month. The prolonged conflict has generated growing dissatisfaction among Americans and contributed to economic disruption around the world, The Washington Post reported.

The potential reinforcement could involve approximately 20,000 additional military personnel, as many as 150 fighter aircraft, and multiple destroyers equipped to conduct missile strikes and defend against incoming attacks.

Among the aircraft carriers being considered are the USS George Washington, which was most recently operating in the Arabian Sea; the USS George H.W. Bush, currently in the Indian Ocean; and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, according to The Washington Post, citing an earlier Wall Street Journal report.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt was recently sent to San Diego and would need to cross the Pacific Ocean before reaching the Middle East.

The military planning is taking place as Trump considers the possibility of resuming attacks against Iran after November’s midterm elections, The Washington Post reported, citing US officials who spoke anonymously.

During an interview published by Time magazine on Thursday, Trump indicated that expanding the bombing campaign after the midterms was “possible,” according to the report.

Approximately 50,000 US troops already stationed in the region

About 50,000 American service members are currently deployed throughout the Middle East, US officials told The Washington Post.

The Navy recently sent the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group to the region. The three-vessel formation carries Marines and sailors who departed from California.

Another amphibious formation, the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, has already been operating in the Middle East for several months. That deployment includes more than 4,000 Marines and sailors, according to officials cited in the report.

If Trump ultimately decides not to intensify the war, the newly dispatched ships could instead serve as replacements for vessels that have remained in the region for an extended period, officials said.

The extended military campaign has placed considerable demands on the Pentagon, with reports of declining troop morale and increasing maintenance requirements for naval vessels.

The financial and human costs of the conflict have also continued to mount. The war has cost the United States billions of dollars, left more than 800 American service members wounded, and resulted in at least 19 military deaths, according to the report.