While the Harry S. Truman is sailing home, USS Carl Vinson will remain in the region.
Following a nearly eight-month-long deployment, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is finishing operations in the Mediterranean Sea as it heads home to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier most recently participated in a NATO military exercise after leaving the Middle East. Earlier this week, Allied Joint Force Command Naples said that the carrier strike group (CSG) would be an integral part of the Neptune Strike exercise, a maritime vigilance activity carried out by the international governing organization.
The joint drills included various aircraft carrier and amphibious strike groups in support of NATO’s strategy in the region. In addition to the Harry S. Truman CSG, Italy’s latest amphibious assault ship was present and participated in a Media Day at the commencement of the exercise. A host of NATO member states took part in Neptune 25-1, including Bulgaria, France, Greece, Canada, Italy, Norway, Romania, North Macedonia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Portugal. “The security environment in and around Europe is ever-evolving, but NEPTUNE STRIKE demonstrates that NATO is absolutely committed to operating together as a unified force to deter would-be aggressors and defend the Alliance when called upon,” said Vice. Adm. Jeff Anderson, commander of STRIKFORNATO.
The USS Harry S. Truman’s role in Neptune and departure from the Red Sea follows the carrier’s extensive and eventful deployment in this threat arena. The Nimitz carrier notably lost three F/A-18 Super Hornets throughout the last eight months, including one that was shot down by cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) in a friendly fire incident at the end of 2024. In February, the Truman had to undergo emergency repairs in Souda Bay, Crete, after colliding with a merchant ship near Egypt. Due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Truman’s deployment has been extended on several occasions as the carrier has been instrumental in thwarting Houthi-launched attacks. In the last two months alone, more than 800 Houthi-linked targets have been struck by Truman and sister ship USS Carl Vinson, demonstrating the extent of the carriers’ role in supporting U.S. interests in the region.
A Brief Overview of the Harry S. Truman Aircraft Carrier
CVN-75 is the eighth Nimitz-class carrier introduced to the Navy. Named to honor the thirty-third president of the United States, this massive warship has served the Navy since the late 1990s after being launched by Newport News Shipbuilding. The nuclear-powered Nimitz carriers are widely considered to be the most formidable and versatile sea-based military assets across the globe. From armament power and sortie capability to service life and sheer size, the Nimitz ships possess the best of the best in terms of carrier-appropriate technology and capacity. The more recently constructed ships are equipped with three Raytheon GMLS Mk 29 eight-cell launchers for NATO Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles. As detailed by Naval Technology, these ships are also fitted with the Raytheon RAM (rolling airframe missile). Equipped with steam catapults, a range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft can be launched from the Nimitz ships. The F/A-18 Super Hornet has been particularly instrumental in carrying out bombardments targeting Houthi assets in Yemen and in defending the carrier against drone attacks. While the Harry S. Truman is sailing toward its homeport, USS Carl Vinson will remain in the region for the time being.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
