After what happened last November, the United States Navy (US Navy) once again finds itself without the presence of one of its nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the Middle East. This time, it is due to the withdrawal of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) from the Red Sea, which was sent to Souda Bay, Greece, for a port visit after operating in the region for 50 days, accompanied by the destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109).
The United States Navy has maintained a significant presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, consisting of East Coast aircraft carriers since December 2021, prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, with the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023, the force moved various units into the area to support Israel and commercial shipping affected by Houthi attacks. Since then, there has been a strong and growing presence of U.S. naval and air assets in the Central Command area of operations, complementing naval units from various countries that have joined Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Now, for the third time in over 15 months, the United States is withdrawing from the Red Sea, leaving the region without a deployed aircraft carrier. In the last instance, the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Carrier Strike Group left the Middle East to head to the Pacific to operate within the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet. This carrier had arrived in the region in August 2024 to support the presence of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect merchant shipping in the region. Prior to that, in June, the same occurred when the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), after seven months of operations in the area, entered the Mediterranean while the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) headed to CENTCOM.
The arrival of CVN-75 in Souda Bay is part of a scheduled visit. It is worth noting that the port provides logistical and operational support to both the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and any U.S. or allied forces to maintain security and stability in the areas of responsibility for Europe, Africa, and Central Command.
While the USS Harry S. Truman is in Greece, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Carrier Strike Group is operating in the waters near the South China Sea, preparing to participate in the Pacific Steller exercise alongside the French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, Japan’s JS Kaga helicopter carrier, and 10 other ships. Prior to this, the CVN-70 had spent three weeks in the South China Sea conducting exercises as part of Maritime Cooperation Activities (MCA) with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
On the other hand, the USS George Washington (CVN-73) Carrier Strike Group is currently based in Yokosuka, Japan. Having arrived at the end of November last year, the ship and its escorts assumed the role of forward-deployed aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy in the Pacific region, relieving the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).
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