Sailors move planes across the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, July 4, 2024, in the South China Sea. Roosevelt and its escort ships are making their way to the Middle East, where U.S. and partner forces recently shot down four drones launched by Houthi militants, according to U.S. Central Command. (Ryan Holloway/U.S. Navy)
American forces and their partners in the Middle East destroyed four aerial drones launched by Houthi militants in Yemen over the weekend, ahead of the arrival of the latest Navy carrier strike group in the region.
Two of the drones were destroyed in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, CENTCOM said in a statement Sunday. The other two drones were shot down by unspecified partner forces over the Gulf of Aden, according to the statement.
Since June 30, the U.S. also has destroyed seven Houthi surface drones in the Red Sea and four of the Iran-backed militant group’s radar sites in Yemen. The U.S. is leading a coalition to defend commercial shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
Last month, the Pentagon announced that the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group would be on duty in the Red Sea following the departure of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its escorts on June 22.
Roosevelt last was in the Indo-Pacific region participating in an exercise with Japan and South Korea. The three-day exercise ended June 29, and Roosevelt was expected to depart for the Middle East shortly afterward, according to the Pentagon.
The Roosevelt group includes the destroyers USS Halsey, USS Russell and USS Daniel K. Inouye. It was unclear Monday when the strike group was expected to arrive in the region.
Meanwhile, Eisenhower is transiting the Atlantic Ocean along with the destroyer USS Gravely and cruiser USS Philippine Sea.
The ships are returning to the U.S. after a nearly nine-month deployment that saw the carrier group protecting ships in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden.
Eisenhower’s departure leaves the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group on duty in the Mediterranean Sea.
