- Will there be 0 US aircraft carriers in CENTCOM on November 30, 2026?4¢
- Will there be 1 US aircraft carrier in CENTCOM on November 30, 2026?9¢
- Will there be 2 US aircraft carriers in CENTCOM on November 30, 2026?48¢
- Will there be 3 US aircraft carriers in CENTCOM on November 30, 2026?24¢
- Will there be 4 or more US aircraft carriers in CENTCOM on November 30, 2026?9¢
Two US aircraft carriers currently operate in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, primarily USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, supporting ongoing operations amid regional tensions. This aligns with the market's strong consensus at 73% for exactly two on November 30. Carrier strike group rotations, extended deployment strains on the fleet, and standard force posture sustainment favor maintaining this level rather than surging to three or more. Recent October 2026 movements, including Bush's repositioning after a port visit, reinforce the two-carrier baseline, while discussions of additional assets like Ford or Roosevelt remain contingent on timelines and operational needs. Low probabilities for one, zero, or four-plus reflect historical norms of sustained presence without abrupt withdrawals or major escalations before the resolution date. Trader consensus prices in these logistical and strategic realities.
Rules
This market will resolve according to the number of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers physically located within the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility at 12:00 PM ET on November 30, 2026. For the purposes of this market, “aircraft carriers” refers only to U.S. Navy aircraft carriers designated CVN (e.g., Nimitz-class and Gerald R. Ford-class carriers). Amphibious assault ships (LHA/LHD), other vessels, and ships of any other country will not count. A carrier will count if it is within the CENTCOM area of responsibility at the specified time, including while making a port call or other stop within the area. A carrier outside the CENTCOM area of responsibility at the specified time (e.g., in transit, or making a port call in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command or U.S. European Command areas of responsibility) will not count, regardless of whether it is assigned to CENTCOM operations. A carrier that enters the area on November 30, 2026 will count only if it entered at or before 12:00 PM ET; a carrier that departs the area on November 30, 2026 will count only if it departed after 12:00 PM ET. Carrier locations will be determined by official information from the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, or U.S. European Command, or by a consensus of credible reporting, and may be established by information published after the specified time. In the event of ambiguity as to the number of carriers within the area at the specified time, this market will remain open until the earlier of: (i) confirmation of the relevant carriers' locations at the specified time, or (ii) the end of the seventh calendar day (ET) following November 30, 2026. The market will resolve based on the totality of information available at that time. Any carrier whose presence within the area at the specified time remains materially ambiguous at that point will not be counted. The resolution sources for this market will be official information from the United States government and military, including the U.S. Navy, the Department of Defense, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and U.S. European Command, and a consensus of credible reporting.