The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is headed to the Persian Gulf to conduct air operations against militants in Iraq and Syria

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is headed to the Persian Gulf to conduct air operations against militants in Iraq and Syria, the Navy’s top official announced on Tuesday.

“It’s almost there,” Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus told reporters at a media roundtable in Washington.

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the rest of the strike group are set to relieve the USS George H.W. Bush, which has been stationed in the region since June.

“We can stay for as long as we need to stay based on the normal rotation of our ships,” Mabus said Tuesday. “It is sustainable for as long as we need to be there.”

Mabus said multiple carriers aren’t needed at this point, but he left the door open for more to be sent.

“Right now we can do whatever we need to do with one carrier,” but, “if there are more missions, we’ll take a look at that,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it plans to deploy 2,300 Marines to the Middle East to quickly respond to crises in the region.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said his country is establishing a task force in the Middle East which will include several fighter aircraft and be prepared to take rapid actions in the case of "contingencies."

The Pentagon launched airstrikes against ISIL targets in Iraq last month. A US-led coalition began military campaign against the terrorist group in Syria in September.