Current Middle East military positioning worth noting: there's no active U.S. Carrier Strike Group deployed in the region right now. The nearest carrier—USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)—is positioned in the South China Sea, which means any potential Middle East response would require several days to over a week for deployment. This geographic reality matters for asset traders watching geopolitical risk premiums. When military assets are positioned far from flashpoints, it typically reduces immediate conflict escalation scenarios, which can influence how markets price in regional uncertainty. Understanding these logistics helps contextualize why some market participants remain relatively calm on Middle East-linked volatility at present.