Shafaq News / The Pentagon announced, on Friday, that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is set to leave the Red Sea for the Mediterranean Sea, as part of a strategic repositioning of US naval forces in the region.
In a coordinated move, another aircraft carrier currently stationed in the Pacific will be deployed to the Middle East to continue the US mission, while the accompanying destroyers will remain with the US Fifth Fleet.
This transition is part of the US military's broader strategy in the region, as the USS Roosevelt is expected to replace the Eisenhower, according to the US Naval Institute (USNI).
An American official confirmed that while the Eisenhower and its escorting cruisers will proceed to the Mediterranean, the accompanying destroyers will remain with the US Fifth Fleet.
Aviation observers have tracked a C-2A Greyhound aircraft departing from the Fifth Fleet's base in Bahrain to the Mediterranean, indicating the start of the carrier group's transition.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin decided not to extend Eisenhower's deployment for a third time, following over eight months of active duty. This marks a significant move as the Eisenhower has been the longest-deployed carrier in the US Navy over the past five years.
It remains unclear which Pacific-based aircraft carrier will replace the Eisenhower. However, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which departed from San Diego, California, in January, is the most likely candidate according to USNI News and Navy sources. The next carrier on the East Coast set to deploy is the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), currently in the early stages of pre-deployment preparations for later this summer.
The last deployment of a Pacific-based carrier to the Middle East was in 2021, during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, when the Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) moved to the Northern Arabian Sea to provide air cover for the evacuation.
Responding to Regional Threats
The Eisenhower has been deployed since October 13 as part of the US response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The carrier's departure comes at a time of escalating tensions between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel in recent days. However, a US official emphasized that the Eisenhower transition is not related to the recent flare-up between Israel and Hezbollah.