A) U.S., UK (and selected partners): troops, ships, aircraft in/heading to the area (late Jan 2026)

U.S. personnel (regional footprint)

• ~40,000 U.S. personnel in the Middle East (fluctuates; includes afloat presence), per widely used public mapping/estimates.¹
• Additional surge tied to the carrier move: ~5,700 personnel associated with USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG).²

U.S. major bases and command nodes (relevant to Gulf operations)

• Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar): forward HQ functions and the region’s Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC)—a primary C2 node for air operations; hosts thousands of U.S. personnel.³
• Bahrain: headquarters for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. 5th Fleet (maritime C2 for Gulf/Red Sea/Arabian Sea).⁴
• Multiple additional long-standing U.S. facilities exist across the Gulf (Kuwait, UAE, etc.), but the above two are the most operationally central for air and maritime command.³⁴

U.S. naval forces (confirmed by recent reporting)

1) Carrier Strike Group en route / arriving

• USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) carrier strike group heading to CENTCOM (diverted from the Asia-Pacific), with three destroyers.²⁵
• Destroyers named in multiple reports as part of the screen: USS Spruance (DDG-111)⁵ USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112)⁵ USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121)⁶ *(Different outlets vary in how completely they list the escorts; the above names appear across multiple reports.)⁵⁶

2) Ships already operating in-theatre (before Lincoln arrives)

• Reporting indicated no carrier currently in the Middle East at the time of the surge decision, but six U.S. Navy ships in the region, including three missile destroyers.⁷
• Reporting also stated the Lincoln would join: Three Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) in/around Bahrain, and Two other U.S. Navy destroyers already at sea in the Persian Gulf.²
• The three LCS operating with 5th Fleet were identified as: USS Canberra (LCS-30) USS Tulsa (LCS-16) USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32)⁸
• U.S. Navy reporting in 2025 described LCS rotations to Bahrain as part of replacing older mine-countermeasures ships (context for why LCS are forward).⁹

U.S. air forces (recently confirmed deployments)

• F-15E Strike Eagles deployed into the Middle East as part of the U.S. reinforcement.²¹⁰
• CENTCOM imagery and reporting show these arrivals and framing as combat-readiness reinforcement.¹⁰
• A key readiness update: CENTCOM opened a new MEAD-CDOC (Middle East Air Defense – Combined Defense Operations Cell) at Al Udeid/CAOC to enhance integrated air and missile defense coordination with partners.¹¹

United Kingdom: ships, aircraft, bases

Aircraft

• RAF Typhoons deployed to Qatar for “defensive purposes,” widely reported as four Typhoons from the joint UK-Qatar No. 12 Squadron.¹²

Naval / basing

• The UK maintains the UK Naval Support Facility (UKNSF) in Manama, Bahrain; NAVCENT publicly referenced Royal Navy activity there in Dec 2025.¹³
• Separate reporting indicates the UK has been drawing down its permanent ship presence in Bahrain (base remains, but fewer/no permanently assigned warships at points).¹⁴

“Others” (selected, only where recently and clearly reported)

• France has conducted regional air operations from bases in the UAE and Jordan (example: early Jan 2026 strike activity reported by Le Monde).¹⁵ (Many other coalition/partner forces exist, but they’re not consistently itemized in public reporting day-to-day.)

B) Iran: capabilities in/near the Gulf + main proxy toolset

Iranian state forces: key strike and A2/AD capabilities (facts in open reporting)

1) Missiles (ballistic + cruise), including anti-ship relevance

• AP reporting (Dec 2025) described IRGC launches during drills near the Strait of Hormuz/Sea of Oman, citing cruise missiles Qadr-110, Qadr-380, Ghadir (ranges “up to 2,000 km” stated in that report) and a ballistic missile labeled “303.”¹⁶
• AP reporting (Feb 2025) described an anti-ship cruise missile test (Ghadr-380) with a claimed range of over 1,000 km, per Iranian state media.¹⁷

2) Naval forces and the Strait of Hormuz mission split

• AP noted (Dec 2025) the IRGC is mainly in charge of Persian Gulf / Strait of Hormuz operations, while the regular navy focuses on the Sea of Oman and beyond.¹⁶

3) Drones at sea / expeditionary signaling

• AP reported Iran inaugurated its first drone-carrier warship “Shahid Bagheri” (IRGC Navy) with a runway and capacity for drones/helicopters/cruise missiles (as described by Iranian state media and AP).¹⁸

4) Submarines (mini-sub / coastal)

• NTI assessment: Iran “reportedly possesses 23 Ghadir-class mini submarines” (capable of torpedoes/missiles).¹⁹
• CSIS/Cordesman assessment (legacy but widely cited): Iran has 3 Kilo-class (Type 877) submarines plus midget/coastal submarines and mine/torpedo options (core A2/AD concept).²⁰

Iran’s proxy ecosystem: capabilities most relevant to U.S./UK forces and shipping

1) Houthis (Yemen) — maritime strike toolkit

• U.S. DoD (Jan 2024) described Houthi employment of anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and uncrewed surface vessels in Red Sea operations.²¹
• CRS (Sept 2024) covers Houthi attacks and Iran-origin components interdictions (context for supply and capabilities).²²
• (More recent think-tank reporting also tracks rearmament and Iranian supply, including large interdictions, but quality varies—best treated as context rather than inventory.)²³

2) Hezbollah (Lebanon) — mass rocket arsenal (scale, not exact counts)

• A UN Security Council document (Oct 2025) quotes Israel’s representation stating Hezbollah still possesses “tens of thousands of rockets of varying ranges.”²⁴ (This is not an independently audited count, but it is a formal UN-circulated statement and is often used as a baseline descriptor.)

3) Iraqi/Syrian militias (“Axis of Resistance” groups)

• ISW/CTP reporting tracks recurring militia drone/rocket activity patterns, including campaigns targeting U.S. positions and regional infrastructure (trend-level capability, not a fixed inventory).²⁵

Endnotes

1. Council on Foreign Relations, “U.S. Forces in the Middle East: Mapping the Military Presence,” Jun. 23, 2025.
2. Associated Press, “A look at the U.S. military assets heading to the Middle East,” Jan. 23, 2026.
3. Associated Press (same context on regional bases, incl. Al Udeid’s role), Jan. 23, 2026.
4. AP context on 5th Fleet presence/patrol mission (Bahrain-based) in Gulf waterways reporting, Dec. 2025.
5. Forbes, “U.S. Navy Supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln Heading To The Middle East,” Jan. 15, 2026.
6. Defence Today (ship list incl. DDG-121), Jan. 15, 2026.
7. ABC News, “Pentagon expected to surge assets to Middle East…,” Jan. 16, 2026 (notes no carrier currently in theatre; “six Navy ships, incl. three missile destroyers”).
8. Naval News, “Unproven Littoral Combat Ships are replacing retired MCM ships in Bahrain,” Sept. 26, 2025 (names LCS Canberra, Tulsa, Santa Barbara forward with 5th Fleet).
9. U.S. Fleet Forces / USFF (U.S. Navy), “Decommissions Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures ships in Bahrain,” Sept. 25, 2025 (LCS deployments to replace MCM ships).
10. Air & Space Forces Magazine, “Pentagon Sends More F-15s to Middle East…,” Jan. 20, 2026; plus CENTCOM imagery of F-15E movement/arrival (Jan 2026).
11. U.S. Central Command, “U.S., Regional Partners Open New Air Defense Operations Cell in Qatar,” Jan. 13, 2026.
12. The Aviationist, “RAF Typhoons Deployed to Qatar…,” Jan. 24, 2026 (four Typhoons, 12 Sqn).
13. NAVCENT (cusnc.navy.mil), “Royal Navy Hosts Mine Countermeasures Conference 2025” (UKNSF Manama reference), Dec. 23, 2025.
14. Maritime Executive, “Royal Navy Pulls Last Ship From Bahrain…” Jan. 2026 (drawdown context).
15. Le Monde, “Lightning French-UK military operation…” Jan. 5, 2026 (French aircraft from UAE/Jordan).
16. AP, “Iran launches massive missiles during a naval drill near Strait of Hormuz,” Dec. 2025.
17. AP, “Iran test-fires anti-warship cruise missile…” Feb. 1, 2025.
18. AP, “Iran inaugurates its first drone-carrier warship,” 2025.
19. NTI, “Iran Submarine Capabilities” (Ghadir-class count/capability).
20. CSIS (Cordesman), “Iran’s Evolving Threat” (PDF; Kilo subs + A2/AD tools).
21. U.S. DoD, “U.S., Partners Launch Additional Strikes Against Houthi Military Targets,” Jan. 23, 2024 (Houthi weapons types incl. anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, USVs).
22. Congressional Research Service, “Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea: Issues for Congress,” Sept. 6, 2024.
23. FDD, “Preventing Houthi Rearmament…” Jan. 20, 2026 (interdiction/supply context).
24. United Nations Security Council document S/2025/621 (Oct. 6, 2025) noting statement that Hezbollah has “tens of thousands of rockets…”.
25. ISW/CTP, “Iran Update…” (militia campaign activity/trends).