After a month without the presence of an aircraft carrier in the region, the United States Central Command (USSCENTCOM) reported that the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), a Nimitz-class carrier, is now in the Middle East region with the goal of reinforcing the U.S. military presence as well as deterrence capabilities, in order to enhance the security and protection of commercial shipping routes. Days earlier, the U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group transited the Suez Canal, marking its official entry into the area of operations under USSCENTCOM’s responsibility.
This deployment marks the return of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the region after a month without the presence of a Carrier Strike Group (CSG). The decision comes as part of the U.S. response to the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. On that occasion, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) Carrier Strike Group was redirected to the Eastern Mediterranean, while the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) Carrier Strike Group moved to the Red Sea, where it spent seven of its nine months of deployment countering threats in the region, particularly the attacks perpetrated by Houthi forces.
The last similar deployment was led by the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which conducted security operations under Operation Prosperity Guardian, aimed at protecting commercial routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Both groups left the region in November, which resulted in a temporary absence of U.S. naval presence for the second time since the start of that operation.
Before its arrival to the U.S. Central Command (USSCENTCOM) in October, the USS Harry S. Truman participated in the Strike Warrior exercises alongside the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. By late November, the U.S. carrier entered the Mediterranean Sea, where its passage through the Strait of Gibraltar was reported. Finally, the CVN-75 is accompanied by the USS Gettysburg (CG-64), the destroyers USS Stout (DDG-55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), as well as Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1), composed of aircraft designated for combat, reconnaissance, and support operations in the region.
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