These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Feb. 20, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
| Total Battle Force | Deployed | Underway |
| 292 (USS 232, USNS 60) |
103 (USS 70, USNS 33) |
59 (42 Deployed, 17 Local) |
In Japan
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port in Yokosuka. The carrier is set to depart for the East Coast later this year. USS George Washington (CVN-73) will replace Reagan in Japan.
In the Philippine Sea
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and big deck amphibious warship USS America (LHA-6) are operating in the Philippine Sea.
The carrier is using older C-2A Greyhounds as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet is grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B off the coast of Japan.
Carrier Strike Group 9
Carrier
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 11
- The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
- The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
- The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach, Va.
- The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach.
- The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
- The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
- The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
- The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
- The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser
USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23
Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
- USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
- USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
- USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The Japan-based USS America (LHA-6) is operating in the Philippine Sea.
In the South Pacific
USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) departed McMurdo Station and is en route New Zealand for a port visit. The crew held their Antarctica Service Medal ceremony while on the Ross Ice Shelf in the Bay of Whales. The criteria for the medal includes spending a minimum of 10 days below the 60th parallel, emphasizing the crew’s sustained commitment to operational excellence.
In the Middle Pacific
Carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for a scheduled port visit on Feb. 13 and departed Feb. 18.
Carrier Strike Group 1
Carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 2
- The “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
- The “Stingers” of VFA 113 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
- The “Warhawks” of VFA 97 – F-35C – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
- The “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
- The “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
- The “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
- The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – CMV-22B – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
- The “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island.
- The “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser
USS Princeton (CG-59), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 1
Destroyer Squadron 1 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Carl Vinson.
- USS Hopper (DDG-70), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
- USS Kidd (DDG-100), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
- USS Sterett (DDG-104), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
- USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
In the Mediterranean Sea
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) continues to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Pentagon has officially extended the deployment of the ARG and the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Mediterranean Sea amid growing regional turmoil, according to a defense official.
Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4 and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.
Among the many missions Marines are trained in is evacuating civilians from conflict zones. USNI News visited the unit last April during a noncombatant evacuation drill in North Carolina.
In the Gulf of Aden
CENTCOM Intercepts Iranian Weapons Shipment Intended for Houthis
TAMPA, Fla. – A U.S. Coast Guard cutter, forward deployed to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to… pic.twitter.com/inkw4ihq1I
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 15, 2024
Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while U.S. naval forces in the region have continued self-defense strikes against Houthi weapons that U.S. Central Command says are a threat to naval and merchant ships.
On Thursday, an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. The missile was headed toward MV Lycavitos, a Barbados-flagged, U.K.-owned and operated bulk carrier. The ship reported no injuries and minor damage.
In the Red Sea
U.S. ships are continuing to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led effort to protect ships moving through the region. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the U.K., U.S. and Israel.
Houthi forces hit a British-owned cargo ship traveling in the Red Sea, U.S. Central Command announced via social media site X Monday morning. The Yemen-based group fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles toward MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged ship, owned by British company Golden Adventure Shipping, BBC reported. One missile hit Rubymar and a coalition ship responded to the crew’s distress call.
Houthi Armed Forces spokesman Yahya Sare’e claimed the group downed an American MQ-9B Reaper drone on Monday, which a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed during a Pentagon press briefing.
On X, Sare’e claimed that the Houthis attacked American ships Sea Champion and Navis Fortuna.
On Saturday, CENTCOM successfully conducted five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, one unmanned underwater vessel (UUV), and one unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. This is the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV since attacks began in Oct. 23.
On Friday, four anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea. It is assessed that three of the missiles were launched towards commercial vessel MT Pollux, a Panamanian-flagged, Denmark-owned, Panamanian-registered vessel. There were no reported injuries or damage from MT Pollux or any other ship in the area.
Later that day, CENTCOM conducted two self-defense strikes against one mobile anti-ship cruise missile and one mobile unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Yemen. CENTCOM identified the mobile missile and USV in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.
On Thursday, CENTCOM forces conducted two self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.
On Wednesday, CENTCOM forces conducted four self-defense strikes against seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), three mobile unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and one explosive unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Houthi controlled areas of Yemen, that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.
On Tuesday, CENTCOM forces conducted a self-defense strike against one mobile anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), in Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen, that was prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.
Separately, one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) was launched from Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. U.S. Navy ships tracked the missile but took no action because the missile was not projected to impact near any ships. There were no reports of injuries or damage from ships in the area.
On Monday, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Bab al-Mandeb. Both missiles were launched toward MV Star Iris, a Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel transiting the Red Sea carrying corn from Brazil. The ship reported being seaworthy with minor damage and no injuries to the crew.
As of Tuesday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating in the Red Sea.
Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4.
The U.N. Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.
Announced on Dec. 18, Operation Prosperity Guardian is a multinational push to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden under the structure of the existing Combined Task Force 153.
Carrier Strike Group 2
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
- The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
- The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
- The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
- The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
- The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
- The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
- The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
- The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
- The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22
Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
- USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
- USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
In the Arabian Sea
The U.S. Coast Guard last week announced a late January seizure of weapons and other material shipped from Iran to Yemen in the Arabian Sea.
“The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147), assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, located the vessel, and boarded it in the Arabian Sea. The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components,” reads the statement.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the Atlantic
Aircraft carriers USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) and USS George Washington (CVN-73) are both underway off the East Coast.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
