The US is extending the role of the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier in the Middle East amid operations against the Iranian-backed Houthis. In addition, reports say that the USS Carl Vinson, a second carrier may arrive in the region as well in the next several weeks. Both carriers are accompanied by numerous ships as part of their carrier strike groups.
This will bolster the US presence in the region, providing the Pentagon with more aircraft and firepower in the region.
The US's naval background
Although this concentration of firepower is new, it is not unique. It’s worth understanding the naval background of US forces in the region over the last two years. The US has had two carriers in the region in the past. There is usually one carrier in the region to support US Central Command. Sometimes a second carrier transits the region as well. For instance, after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack the US kept the USS Gerald Ford and several ships in the eastern Mediterranean. This was designed. To deter Hezbollah or Iran from taking advantage of the Hamas attack on Israel.
The Ford stayed in the region until early January 2024 when it returned to the US. It was accompanied by the USS Mesa Verde and USS Carter Hall. Along with the USS Bataan these vessels had included the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and they had been abroad for 8 months.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier was also in the region and supported operations designed to secure the Red Sea against Houthi attacks. The Eisenhower and its carrier strike group left Central Command’s area of responsibility in June 2024.
A fighter jet is launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a strike against what the US military describe as Houthi military targets in Yemen, February 3, 2024 (credit: US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Janae Chambers/Handout via REUTERS)
A fighter jet is launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower during a strike against what the US military describe as Houthi military targets in Yemen, February 3, 2024 (credit: US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Janae Chambers/Handout via REUTERS)
It remained briefly in the US European Command area of responsibility and then returned to the US. It had been deployed for seven months. The Pentagon said at the time that Eisenhower “protected ships transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Gulf Aden, rescued innocent mariners against the unlawful attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis, and helped to deter further aggression.” The USS Theodore Roosevelt then took up station in Central Command to support operations in the Red Sea and the region.
In August the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region. It came with F-35 aircraft and also F-A/18 Super Hornets. During this period the US also intercepted a number of Iranian missiles on October 1, 2024. At the time the US had three guided-missile destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean. These included the USS Bulkeley, USS Arleigh Burke and USS Cole. Four destroyers were also deployed as part of Prosperity Guardian to protect the Red Sea - these included the USS Michael Murphy, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Spruance and USS Stockdale (DDG-106). The USS Indianapolis was also in the region in the Bab el Mandeb Strait in October 2024, USNI news reported at the time.
The US also kept the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group of ships in the eastern Mediterranean in October. This included the USS Wasp, USS New York and USS Oak Hill. It returned to the US in December, 2024.
Seapower reported that “While deployed, the Wasp ARG [Amphibious Ready Group] and 24th MEU (SOC) team supported a wide range of interoperability opportunities and exercises across the North Atlantic, Eastern Mediterranean, and Baltic region, increasing combat readiness and crisis response capabilities while strengthening relationships with both Allies and partners.”
In mid-December the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group entered the US Central command area of responsibility, US Naval Forces Central Command said on December 14, 2024. “The carrier strike group consists of the flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 with nine embarked aviation squadrons; staffs from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8, CVW-1, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28; the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109),” the US statement said in December.
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While the Truman has extended its stay in the region, it’s possible it could leave when the Vinson or another carrier group arrives. This would give the US two carrier strike groups in the region, or at least two carriers with their attendant destroyers and other ships. The Vinson was laid down in the 1970s and launched in 1980. The Truman was launched in 1996. Both are Nimitz-class carriers that can carry around ninety aircraft.
Operations against the Houthis and Iran
Deploying two carriers to the region will be a message to Iran. Trump sent a letter to Iran that offered talks recently. However, if Iran doesn’t come to the table it’s possible that other means will be needed to prevent Iran from enriching uranium or weaponizing its uranium stockpile. At the same time Israel is involved in operations in Gaza and the US is bombing the Houthis in Yemen. Carriers are necessary to continue some of these operations.
Currently, the US has a large number of other options in the region. It has aircraft at bases in the Gulf, for instance. In the past these have included F-22, F-15Es, F-16s, and A-10s. The US also has MH-60S Sea Hawks of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11. Currently, there is also the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser the USS Gettysburg in the region.
In addition, the US also has AH-64 Apache helicopters which operate in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the anti-ISIS mission. Recently the US has also sent elements of a Bomber Task Force Mission with B-52Hs, flown from RAF Fairford in the UK, to the region. The overall point is that there is no shortage of American firepower in the region, and more may be arriving.