USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is now in the Central Command area of responsibility, after transiting the Suez Canal on Saturday, U.S. Central Command announced over the weekend.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, led by Truman, consists of USS Gettysburg (CG-64), USS Stout (DDG-55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109). Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 is embarked aboard Truman.
“The strike group is deployed to ensure regional stability and security,” reads the Central Command release.
The strike group entered the Middle East after a month without a carrier strike group presence.
The U.S. has kept a presence in the Middle East since October 2023 when USS Carney (DDG-64) transited the Suez Canal, and, shortly after, began the first engagement with Houthi missiles and drones.
Following the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the U.S. moved the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group toward the Eastern Mediterranean from its spot in the Med, where it had been maintaining the U.S.’ presence since before Russia invade Ukraine. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group was the first strike group to begin the U.S. presence ahead of the Russo-Ukraine War.
The U.S. also moved ships from the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group to the Red Sea following the Houthi attacks.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group moved into the Red Sea when it deployed, spending seven of its nine-month deployment engaging the Houthis in the Middle East. The U.S. then moved the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, then the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, into the Middle East to allow the Ike CSG to go home.
When the two West Coast-based strike groups left the Middle East, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were left without a carrier strike group for just the second time since the U.S. began its presence and role in Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Although there wasn’t a carrier in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden, the U.S. had four destroyers maintaining its presence in the Middle East, particularly in preventing Houthi attacks.
USS Stockdale (DDG-106) and USS O’Kane (DDG-77) have fought off two Houthi attacks on Dec. 1 and Dec. 10. During the Dec. 10, Stockdale and O’Kane were escorting American owned-, operated- and flagged-merchant ships.
Stockdale also came under Houthi fire in November, this time with USS Spruance (DDG-111).
While the Houthis have kept up their attacks on merchant ships, their actions have largely been focused on using missiles to attack Israel, according to social media posts detailing their military actions.
