Late last week, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its Strike Group departed Guam to strengthen the US presence in the Middle East, where they will operate under the purview of the US Central Command (CENTCOM). This important deployment comes amid heightened tensions in the region, where the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its escort are already deployed. It also comes as the Air Force expands its capabilities there with B-2 bombers and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.
According to the institution, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is being accompanied by a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, the USS Princeton (CG-59), as well as an Arleigh Burke destroyer, the USS Sterett (DDG-104); it also has Carrier Air Wing 2 on board, which has advanced F-35C stealth fighters. It is also worth noting that during part of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific, the ship was also escorted by the destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), although it is unclear whether that ship also joined the Strike Group’s voyage to the Middle East.
It is also worth mentioning that the aircraft carrier and its escort have recently participated in combined exercises with elements of the South Korean Navy (ROKN) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), aimed at expanding the cooperative ties between these allied countries. Specifically, the US vessels were complemented by the South Korean destroyers ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991) and ROKS Dae Joyeong (DDH-977), as well as the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi (DD-107).
Later, during its transit to Guam, the USS Carl Vinson made headlines for the interception flight carried out by its embarked wing atop a Russian Navy I-38, which closely followed its movements. The images showing the surveillance aircraft with F-35C and F/A-18 fighters alongside as they flew over the formation of ships are curious. It is worth mentioning, despite the unusual nature of the event, that it occurred over international airspace and without incident.
It is also worth noting at this point that the departure of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier strike group will not leave the Indo-Pacific region without the US Navy having arranged a direct replacement, in this case the USS Nimitz and its escort. In what could be its final deployment, the oldest ship of the class of the same name has departed from Naval Air Station North Island (San Diego) to take its place, accompanied by the ships USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), USS Gridley (DDG-101), USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108), and USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123).
Returning to the regional Middle East scenario, it is worth mentioning that France has announced that its own strike group (led by the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle) is also en route to the Suez Canal. This comes as the French Navy completes a major deployment in the Indo-Pacific, dubbed Clemenceau 25. While Paris has not mentioned that this force will join US strikes on Houthi rebel groups’ positions in Yemen, it represents a considerable capability that could expand Western power in the region. It includes more than 20 Rafale fighter jets, the destroyer FS Forbin (D620), the frigates FS Provence (D652) and FS Alsace (D656), the oil tanker FS Jacques Chevallier (A725), and a nuclear attack submarine.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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