The Pentagon has sent two aircraft carriers — and their supporting ships — to the eastern Mediterranean since Hamas attacked Israel. The move reflects the Obama administration’s concern that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spiral into a wider regional conflict that would threaten U.S. interests. However, the fleet’s arrival demonstrates that the U.S. Navy can deploy forces quickly and with significant firepower.
Aircraft carriers are a potent deterrent, steel behemoths that project the total weight of the United States military wherever they sail. They can carry a vast number of fighter and bomber jets that are capable of devastating strikes. Their sheer size and firepower make them almost impossible to sink, though they can sustain massive damage from various weapons. Hundreds of water-tight compartments protect the vast vessels, thousands of tons of armoring, and redundancy built into major on-board systems like the electrical wiring. In addition, their enormous size means enemies would have to spend considerable time targeting them with missiles and other weapons to penetrate the layered defense.
What they bring to the Middle East
The first of the Ford-class carriers, USS Dwight Eisenhower (CVN 69), left Norfolk on Saturday for a scheduled redeployment to the U.S. European Command’s area of responsibility in the eastern Mediterranean. It is joined by a strike group comprising the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Normandy and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, and Carney, each carrying eight squadrons of attack and support aircraft.
These ships will remain in the region for several weeks. The second of the Ford-class carriers, USS Carl Vinson (CVN 74), will join it in mid-November. Vinson will be augmented by amphibious assault ships equipped with short takeoff vertical landing variants of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet.
The presence of the two carrier strike groups will add significant power to a region that already hosts several U.S. military ships, planes, and troops. The two warships and their support vessels will have various capabilities, including anti-air warfare, counterinsurgency operations, and humanitarian aid missions. The ships are expected to operate near Egypt, Libya, and Turkey.
What the ships mean for U.S. strategy
The deployments are part of a more significant U.S. naval presence intended to keep Iran from trying to shut down the Strait of Hormuz and prevent Iranian missiles from attacking oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. The presence is also meant to demonstrate the continuing strength of the U.S. fleet in response to Iranian aggression.
However, keeping two aircraft carriers deployed for long periods is costly. The long, surge-type deployments that characterized the U.S. carrier force in the early 2010s wore out the ships, planes, and sailors involved, creating readiness gaps that took years to recover. The Navy avoids similar pitfalls by reworking deployment schedules and investing in new, improved aircraft carriers.