The weakening of Iran’s proxies in the Middle East has raised doubts about the need for continued deployment of multiple valuable US Navy assets in the region.
Following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in southern Israel, the US Navy has rotated several of its nuclear-powered supercarriers to the Middle East. The warships have sought to deter further escalation from Iran and its regional proxies, while the Pentagon carried out a bombing campaign against the Tehran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
Hamas and Hezbollah have each been significantly weakened in their de facto wars with Israel, while the United States reached a fragile ceasefire with the Houthis in early May. It appears that Washington has achieved its objectives in the Middle East, which raises fresh questions regarding whether the US Navy should maintain any carriers in the region. Yet, as of last week, both the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) were operating in the Red Sea, while the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is expected to reach the eastern Mediterranean in the coming weeks.
Continued US carrier buildup in the region is unnecessary, argued Dov S. Zakheim, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). In an op-ed for The Hill, Zakheim warned that such a carrier buildup risks drawing the United States into another conflict in the Middle East, when efforts should be directed towards “the Western Pacific to confront the increasingly potent and sophisticated Chinese threat.”
Zakheim further noted that history is repeating itself, with policies similar to those of the early 1990s, when the United States failed to “disentangle itself” from the region.
“Even in the absence of carriers and their F-35s, the US has a large remaining fighter force spread throughout the Arabian Gulf,” Zakheim explained, pointing to such bases as “Qatar’s sprawling Al Udeid Air Base, Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s Al Dhafra Air Base, as well as Kuwait.”
Moreover, with Operation Midnight Hammer, the US Air Force was able to sortie seven Northrop B-2 Spirit bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, to strike critical targets in Iran. This raises the question of whether it makes sense for the US Navy to maintain such a presence against the Islamic Republic and its proxies.
The Houthis Could Be Distracting America from Iran
Zakheim’s op-ed was published on Friday—hours before the Houthis attacked a Greek-owned, Liberia-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea. The freighter, reported to be the Magic Seas, came under attack from Houthi militants armed with RPGs and machine guns in small skiffs, while a follow-up attack was carried out by an unmanned surface vessel (USV) that was laden with explosives.
The 19 crew members from the cargo ship were allowed to disembark and were reportedly rescued by another merchant vessel. It was the first attack on commercial shipping carried out by the Houthis in more than six months, Reuters reported.
Writing for The Telegraph, former Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe warned that this attack may be an effort to split the US Navy’s carrier force, with the Houthis aiding their patrons in Tehran.
“If Iran were minded to close the Strait of Hormuz or just mount interference there, this is how they would start off,” Sharpe suggested. He added that it would leave just one US supercarrier to focus on the Gulf of Oman.
Time may be on Tehran’s side as well. The current deployment of the USS Carl Vinson began in March, and it is likely to remain in the region for only two to three more months. As Sharpe explained, the USS Nimitz “is on loan from the Pacific Command who will be keen to have her back.”
This is another reminder that the US Navy must constantly play a game of musical chairs with its most valuable assets, resulting in carriers being increasingly spread thin. Zakheim has argued that it is time to stop the music and to deploy other warships and additional military aircraft to the region instead. It will be up to the US Navy to decide on a course of action.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
