All articles tagged with #carrier strike group
The USS Nimitz, the oldest U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, returned to Bremerton after nearly nine months of deployment that included operations in the South China Sea, Middle East, and Pacific, marked by challenges such as a sailor missing and aircraft crashes, and is expected to be decommissioned eventually.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, has entered the U.S. Southern Command area to support efforts against transnational criminal organizations and narco-terrorism, enhancing U.S. maritime security and homeland defense capabilities.
The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and its carrier strike group have entered the Persian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first carrier to operate in those waters since September 2020. The group includes destroyers Mason and Gravely, cruiser Philippine Sea, and Carrier Air Wing 3. While responding to a distress call in the Gulf of Aden, the Mason encountered ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. No damage or injuries were reported, and the crew of the commercial vessel is safe. The transit through the strait is crucial for maintaining regional security and stability, with over 500 ships passing through it weekly. The deployment to the Middle East was prompted by heightened tensions in the region, including attacks on U.S. troops and intercepting missiles and drones fired by Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group has been directed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to deploy to the Middle Eastern waters of U.S. Central Command in response to recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces in the region. This marks the first time a carrier has operated in CENTCOM waters since the end of the Afghanistan war. The move follows the interception of cruise missiles and drones by the Navy destroyer Carney, believed to be heading towards Israel, and drone attacks against U.S. troops in the region. Additional forces, including a THAAD missile battery and Patriot missile battalions, are also being sent to the region.
The Pentagon has ordered a second carrier strike group, led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the eastern Mediterranean Sea, while also deploying Air Force fighter jets to the region, as Israel prepares to expand its operations in Gaza. The US warships and aircraft are not intended to participate in the fighting but are meant to send a message of deterrence to Iran and its proxies in the region. The increased military presence aims to prevent others from entering the conflict and to support Israel's security. The US has clarified that there are no plans to put American troops on the ground in Israel, and a Marine Expeditionary Unit is making preparations in case it is ordered closer to Israel. Additionally, F-15E and A-10 fighter jets have been deployed to enhance air operations in the Middle East.
The United States is sending a second carrier strike group, the USS Eisenhower, to the Eastern Mediterranean as a deterrence measure amid concerns of foreign involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The USS Eisenhower will join the USS Gerald Ford and other U.S. defense forces in the region. A carrier strike group is a powerful naval unit that includes an aircraft carrier, replenishment ship, cruiser, destroyers, and submarines, along with various types of aircraft. The U.S. currently maintains eleven carrier strike groups, with ten based in the United States and one in Japan. Carrier strike groups have the capability to strike targets from long distances and provide air, missile, and submarine defense.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has changed course from heading to U.S. European Command to the Mediterranean due to the ongoing conflict in the Israeli war with Hamas. The aircraft carrier deployed on October 14th, with deployment delayed to ensure peak readiness. As tensions grow overseas, family and friends bid farewell to the 8,000 sailors, knowing the risks they are taking. The strike group will deploy with four ships and over 70 aircraft, and while the duration of the deployment is unknown, it typically ranges from six to eight months.
The US has ordered the Ford carrier strike group, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and its warplanes, to sail to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel. The show of force is intended to be ready to respond to various scenarios, including intercepting weapons to Hamas and conducting surveillance. The carrier strike group was already in the Mediterranean and had been conducting naval exercises with Italy.
The US Navy's deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups are positioned worldwide as of July 10, 2023. The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is in the Indian Ocean, the America Amphibious Ready Group is in the Coral Sea, the McFaul guided-missile destroyer is in the Persian Gulf, the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is in the Ionian Sea, the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group is set to depart for deployment, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is operating off the southeastern U.S. Other naval formations are also deployed globally.
The UK will deploy a carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025 as part of strengthening defense ties with Japan and other nations in the region. The deployment is part of a wider strategy to tilt economic and defense strategy towards the Indo-Pacific against a background of increasing Chinese belligerence in the region. The strike group will include naval escorts and F-35 combat jets working alongside the Japanese Self Defence Force and other navies in the region.
The US Navy's deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups are positioned worldwide as of May 1, 2023. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is in the South China Sea, while the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group is operating in Manila with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked. The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group is conducting an Amphibious Ready Group Marine Expeditionary Unit Exercise in the Western Atlantic. The Navy transported 300 evacuees from the Port of Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of a State Department-led evacuation of Sudan.