Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered “the amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde into the Arabian Gulf,” the Defense Department says in a press release. “The ship has completed its transit through the Strait of Hormuz,” says a Navy admiral.

“Its presence in the Gulf adds to that of other U.S. naval ships already there — including the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush — and provides the commander in chief additional options to protect American citizens and interests in Iraq, should he choose to use them,” says Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby in the press release.