by Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News

While a shaky truce holds between Israel and Iran, the US Navy has bolstered its forces in the eastern Mediterranean.

Two more guided-missiles destroyers have joined three others in the region. 

The ships include the USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-117), USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79), USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) and USS The Sullivans (DDG-68).

All five ships, which are home-ported in Rota, Spain, are equipped with the Standard Missile 3s (SM-3), It’s part of the Aegis defense system, which is used to intercept ballistic missiles. Last year, SM-3s were used against an Iranian ballistic missile attack, the first time the weapon

had been used in combat.

The US destroyers are part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), which was established to protect Europe from an Iranian ballistic missile attack.

Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford left Norfolk, Va. Tuesday on a regularly scheduled deployment for the European theater of command. But that mission could include to the waters off the coast of Israel.

“We’re mobile and maneuverable,” said Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilota, commander of the carrier strike group. “Within one day, we can move this whole strike group 700-plus miles.”

The Ford carrier strike group includes the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) and Destroyer Squadron 2.

The Gerald R Ford is the lead ship of her class. She’s the world’s largest warship ever built, with a 1,092 foot-long flight deck with the ability to carry at least 75 planes. At the same time, its new

technology also the ship to be operated with several hundred fewer sailors.

The ship uses an electromagnetic system for launching planes, replacing the traditional steam catapults. The system generates a magnetic field that propels a shuttle attached to the plane. It can more precisely control the speed of the plane, resulting in a smoother launch. That means less stress on the planes, and less maintenance for the catapult.

The carrier USS Carl Vinson is already on station in the Persian Gulf and the USS Nimitz is on its way to the region from southeast Asia. The Nimitz is due to arrives by the end of the month. Still, one Pentagon official told the Washington Post that it’s likely the two carriers – and their strike groups – are likely to overlap in the Gulf for a short time before the Vinson heads back to San Diego.

Jim Morris is the Warrior Vice President, News. Morris is a former ABC News & Bloomberg TV executive and editor