US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson exits Middle East after months-long deployment

The U.S. Navy is pulling one of its major assets out of the Middle East as the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) leaves the North Arabian Sea and sails into the Indian Ocean, marking the end of its three-month presence in the region.

A defence official confirmed to USNI News on July 14 that the aircraft carrier and its strike group exited U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) waters on July 11, after 238 days at sea. The Carl Vinson is now likely heading back to its homeport in San Diego, Caliber.Az reports.

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group had arrived in CENTCOM in April, shortly after a port visit to Guam. Its extended deployment made it one of the longest for a West Coast-based carrier since Houthi rebel attacks began disrupting maritime shipping in the Red Sea in late 2023. The only longer deployment has been by the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which spent 278 days at sea, while the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) completed a 162-day deployment.

Despite the intensifying Houthi threat, neither the Carl Vinson nor the USS Theodore Roosevelt operated in the Red Sea. Instead, both were positioned in the Arabian Sea amid heightened tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. The U.S. has leaned on independently deployed guided-missile destroyers, including the USS Forrest Sherman (DDG-98) and USS Truxtun (DDG-103), to maintain operations in the Red Sea.

Over the past weekend, Houthi rebels launched missile attacks against Israel but refrained from targeting shipping lanes, despite having sunk two commercial vessels the previous week. The attack on MV Magic Seas on July 6 resulted in the ship's sinking, followed by a deadly strike on MV Eternity C the next day.

Amid these developments, the U.S. Navy has also scaled back its missile defence posture in the Mediterranean Sea, reducing its presence from five guided-missile destroyers to just one—USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51).

While a U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that a ceasefire remains in place, Washington has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting maritime security.

“The United States has been clear: we will continue to take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks,” the State Department said in a statement. “These attacks demonstrate the ongoing threat that Iran-backed Houthi rebels pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security.”

The departure of the Carl Vinson leaves only the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group operating in CENTCOM waters.

By Sabina Mammadli