US Navy sends second carrier group back to Israel as Gaza invasion nears
WASHINGTON – The US will soon have two carrier strike groups posted in the eastern Mediterranean after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its support ships to deploy there.
Defense officials say sending two groups of ships is intended to convey an unmistakable message to the likes of Iran and Russia: Help Hamas in its war against Israel and feel the wrath of the US Navy.
The massive carrier and its backing vessels will join the USS Gerald R. Ford group, which deployed to the region last week in response to the brutal Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel that killed more than 1,300 people, including at least 30 Americans.
It is rare for two carrier strike groups to operate together. The US military has just 11 in total and deploys only a few at a time.
Austin sent the second strike group after meeting over the weekend with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“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 Pentagon chief said Saturday while announcing the deployment.
While aircraft carriers are familiar to fans of movies like “Top Gun” and “The Hunt for Red October,” their strike groups are less well known.
What are carrier strike groups?
As a rule, aircraft carriers never deploy alone. Instead, other Navy ships – including guided-missile destroyers and guided-missile cruisers – tag along, offering the massive and pricey platforms protection against outside threats.
Together, the carrier and its chaperoning ships make up a strike group.
Israel-Hamas war: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.
2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early-morning ambush Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Terrorists killed more than 1,200 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200, and took at least 200 hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce, “We are at war,” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
The Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas — reported at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began.
What ships make up the Eisenhower and Ford strike groups?
Sailing with the Eisenhower are the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea and guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason. Also embarked with the strike group is Carrier Air Wing 3, which has nine aircraft squadrons and includes its headquarters staffs, according to the Pentagon.
The Ford strike group features the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy and guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney and USS Roosevelt, as well as Carrier Air Wing 8.
Why are strike groups needed?
Though carriers are the largest ships in the Navy and serve as a strike group’s main command and control vessel, their strength does not lie in self-defense. Instead, the platform’s service as a floating airport for fighter jets and other military aircraft is its main function, providing critical air support anywhere the ship can sail.
Destroyers and cruisers are included in the strike group to keep the carrier safe, as well as launch attacks and defend against incoming strikes on their own.
What can they do?
Known colloquially as “small boys,” the accompanying ships carry crews of roughly 350 sailors while still packing hefty firepower.
Cruisers are equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles with the capacity for long-range strikes. They also play protective roles – with some featuring ballistic missile defense capabilities – as they focus primarily on threats from the air and enemy vessels.
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Guided-missile destroyers are key to defending against attacks. They are equipped with anti-missile systems that can shoot down incoming rockets from the ocean’s surface, the air and under the sea – as well as conduct anti-submarine operations.
What will they do for Israel?
The Pentagon has been tight-lipped on what activities the ships will be conducting – aside from floating in the region to send a message.
“They’re strictly for deterrence purposes,” Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Monday. “I don’t have more in terms of what other activities they’ll be doing other than just to further deter and to send a pretty clear message into the region … that for any other actors considering getting involved in this conflict: don’t.”
The main goal is to ensure the conflict does not expand, defense officials told The Post. But if it does – and if the US must get involved – having two strike groups in the region will ensure a swift response.
