US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier departs Middle East amid naval rotation

For the second time in over a year, the US Navy has left the Middle East without an aircraft carrier following the departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) from the region.

The Lincoln has entered the U.S. 7th Fleet, while the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is en route to the Mediterranean Sea. This move marks the shifting dynamics of U.S. military presence in the Middle East, with the Truman CSG expected to play a key role in Operation Prosperity Guardian, a mission focused on protecting merchant shipping, Caliber.Az reports, citing the United States Naval Institute.

The last time the U.S. operated without a carrier in the Middle East was in June 2023, when the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) moved to the Mediterranean, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-73) proceeded to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operations. The rotation of these West Coast-based carrier strike groups is a demonstration of the Navy’s ability to surge forces as needed to meet operational requirements in various global theatres.

Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the U.S. Navy has maintained a consistent presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, initially with East Coast carriers. Following the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and subsequent Houthi strikes on Red Sea shipping, U.S. Navy assets were reallocated to bolster support for Israel and safeguard global commercial shipping routes.

Meanwhile, the Navy has continued its operations in the region with two destroyers deployed in the Mediterranean and two more in the Red Sea. This adjustment comes as the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group has quietly deployed from California, beginning its Pacific deployment on October 12, 2023. The Vinson is expected to participate in exercises such as Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) off the coast of Hawaii.

As the Navy continues its strategic realignment, it is also nearing the completion of transferring the USS George Washington (CVN-73) to Yokosuka, Japan, further shifting U.S. carrier operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

On November 12, Yemen's Ansar Allah Houthis launched a pre-emptive strike against the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group in the Red and Arabian Seas. 

According to Al Masirah TV channel, two important operations were carried out in the Red and Arabian Seas. The first operation targeted the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea using several cruise missiles and drones.

In the second operation, two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea were attacked with ballistic missiles and drones that successfully reached their targets. 

The operation thwarted a major attack on Yemen, which was in its final stages.

Earlier this year, the US, UK and 12 other nations launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect Red Sea shipping lanes against the Houthis.

In October, the US military said it had launched strikes on 15 Houthi targets in Yemen, with several explosions reported in the capital Sanaa.

It has previously said it aims to degrade the Houthis' ability to target shipping.

By Khagan Isayev