The USS Eisenhower carrier strike group is headed for the eastern Mediterranean where it will join the USS Ford carrier strike group, the Pentagon has confirmed.
The aircraft carrier deployed from Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday morning and will join the USS Ford as the war between Israel and Hamas deepens, the Department of Defense told The Independent.
“I have directed the USS Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to begin moving to the Eastern Mediterranean. As part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Saturday night.
“The Eisenhower CSG will join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived earlier this week,” he continued.
And he added: The increases to US force Posture signal the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war.”
The American military show of force is intended to act as a deterrent to the likes of Iran, Hezbollah and Syria becoming involved in the conflict.
The USS Eisenhower strike group deploys with 8,000 sailors, four ships and 70 aircraft.
This includes the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and the destroyers USS Laboon, USS Mason and USS Gravely.
📍NORFOLK, Va. - The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) departed today on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, where it will engage with allies and partners in support of maritime statecraft.
— U.S. Fleet Forces (@USFleetForces) October 14, 2023
MORE: https://t.co/JZOg7D1YKd pic.twitter.com/WO8Ak0t91U
“The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) departed today on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, where it will engage with allies and partners in support of maritime statecraft,” stated US Fleet Forces on Twitter.
While on its European deployment, USS Eisenhower had been scheduled to participate in exercises in the region.
The Pentagon said earlier his week that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would “continue to review both the Eisenhower and Ford’s deployment plans as he considers the appropriate balance of maritime capability across theatres in support of national security priorities.”
At least 1,300 people were killed in the Hamas terror attacks on 7 October, including 260 people at a music festival near kibbutz Re’im.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Hamas-controlled Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes, the Palestinian health ministry said on Saturday.
Following the Hamas attacks, Israel announced a “complete siege” on the enclave.
And on Saturday Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in southern Israel that “The next stage is coming” and that the country is set to invade the territory by land, sea and air.
