On May 2nd, the waters of the Mediterranean Sea were the setting for the meeting of two giants: the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle of the French National Navy and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower of the U.S. Navy. Both ships are participating in operational activities within the framework of NATO and Washington’s guidelines, respectively.
In the case of the French aircraft carrier, the vessel is operating as part of NATO’s Akila mission. The presence of the Naval Aviation Group led by the Charles de Gaulle includes multi-purpose and air defense frigates, an attack submarine, and the embarked air wing consisting of Rafale Marine fighters, Hawkeye E-2C early warning aircraft, and helicopters. From the land, Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance aircraft provide support to the naval formation.
The Akila mission aims to demonstrate NATO’s deterrence capability in the Mediterranean Sea, with a major focus on the war in Ukraine, which, in the words of NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah, involves a demonstration of “…the common commitment to strengthen cooperation and ensure interoperability…”.
One of the major novelties of Operation Akila is that the French Naval Aviation Group is, for the first time, under the joint command of the Atlantic Alliance. As in other NATO missions, fleet command is in the hands of the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO).
Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN 69 has just completed a deployment of nearly 6 months in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility. During its presence in the Middle East, the Eisenhower Strike Group not only provided protection to Israel following the attacks on October 7, 2023, but was also a key player in defensive and offensive operations against Houthi forces in Yemen.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter bombers of the Eisenhower were part of the defensive arrangement to ensure freedom of navigation for merchant ships, during which they not only shot down several Houthi drones but also participated in attacks against infrastructure, positions, or strategic targets in Yemen.
Both the Charles de Gaulle and the USS Eisenhower represent France and the USA’s force projection capability. In the French case, it is the only ship of its kind in service with the Marine Nationale, a unit that will be replaced in the medium term by the next-generation aircraft carrier (PANG). The situation is very different for the U.S. Navy, which has eleven aircraft carriers between the Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford classes.
It is expected that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower will remain in service until the end of this decade. Despite the announcement of its decommissioning for 2027 in April 2022, delays in acceptance testing on the new USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier prompted the extension of the ship’s operational life.
Cover image: Marine Nationale
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