The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) enters the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in the Atlantic Ocean, June 8, 2016. U.S. Navy Photo
By Andrea Shalal
BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower entered the Mediterranean late on Monday, the U.S. Navy said, at a time when U.S. officials are raising alarm over Russia’s maritime expansion.
The Eisenhower, also known as the “Ike,” will relieve the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group which later this month heads back to the United States after an extended eight-month deployment.
The Eisenhower, which also leads a strike group of cruisers, destroyers and warplanes, is scheduled to continue on to the Gulf to participate in U.S. air strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. Exact details of its deployment have not been released.
Fighter jets based on the Truman have been carrying out air strikes against Islamic State from the Mediterranean since June 3.
The Eisenhower’s deployment is part of a rotation of U.S. forces supporting maritime security operations around the globe, the Navy said. Its strike group includes two guided-missile cruisers, four guided-missile destroyers and nine air squadrons.
The Navy said the presence of two carrier strike groups in the Mediterranean showed the U.S. commitment to safety and security, while sending “a strong message of support to our allies and partners in Europe.”
The move coincides with NATO military exercises across eastern Europe and Turkey that may raise tensions with Russia.
U.S. officials say Russia is operating warships and submarines in the Mediterranean and plans its own military exercises in coming weeks.
Vice Admiral James Foggo, who heads the U.S. Navy’s fleet in the Mediterranean, and naval analyst Alarik Fritz last week said Russia was aggressively expanding its surface and submarine maritime capabilities from the Arctic to the Black Sea.
“Combined with extensive and frequent submarine patrols throughout the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea, and forward-deployed forces in Syria, Russia has the capability to hold nearly all NATO maritime forces at risk,” they wrote in the naval journal Proceedings.
They said it was critical to leverage allied navies to work with NATO partners so they could respond to emergencies and protect maritime infrastructure.
Russia last week said it would respond to a U.S. destroyer’s entry into the Black Sea with unspecified measures, saying it and other deployments were designed to ratchet up tensions ahead of a NATO summit in Warsaw next month.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
MANILA, April 27 (Reuters) – The Philippines on Saturday denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling...
ATHENS, April 27 (Reuters) – The Paris 2024 Olympic flame sailed for France on Saturday on board a three-masted ship to mark the final sprint of preparations ahead of the Olympic Games...
DUBAI, April 25 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted the MSC Darwin ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, as the Iran-aligned group resumed attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea...
April 26, 2024
Total Views: 865
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.