The Navy maintains two aircraft carriers in the Middle East amid intense strikes on Houthi militants. Rising costs, operational stress, and mounting risks raise questions about long-term strategic effectiveness.
Last week, United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth extended the deployment of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, ordering the carrier to remain in the Middle East for at least another week. The warship arrived in the region in November, deploying from Norfolk, Virginia, last September.
Hegseth had previously extended the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman in March.
In addition to USS Harry S. Truman, the San Diego-based USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Red Sea a few weeks ago. Both countries have been carrying out strikes on the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for combat operations in the region, the U.S. military has been waging an “intense and sustained campaign” against the Houthis.
“These operations have been executed using detailed and comprehensive intelligence, ensuring lethal effects against the Houthis while minimizing risk to civilians,” CENTCOM announced.
“Since the start of Operation Rough Rider, USCENTCOM has struck over 800 targets. These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials.”
In addition, CENCOM claimed to have “destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations.”
The facilities were reported to house a variety of ordnance, “including anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, and uncrewed surface vessels, which were employed in Houthi terrorist attacks on international shipping lanes.”
Should America Have More Aircraft Carriers Ready to Fight the Houthis?
The United States has maintained a near-constant presence in the Middle East since Hamas launched its deadly terrorist attack into southern Israel in October 2023. That has included rotating multiple carriers to the region, some of which have been in the Middle East with overlapping deployments.
“It has been rare in recent years for the U.S. to simultaneously have two aircraft carriers in the Middle East. Navy leaders have generally opposed the idea because it disrupts ship maintenance schedules and delays time at home for sailors strained by the unusually high combat tempo,” The Associated Press reported.
The actions in the Middle East have been described as the most intense combat situations the U.S. Navy has faced since the Second World War. However, questions are being raised about whether it is accomplishing much. The operations are costing millions of dollars weekly and quickly depleting the service’s stockpiles of air defense missiles, while the Houthis have scored propaganda victories in the process.
“There’s never been a more significant moment than now for Washington to rethink its overall strategy against the Houthis. After all, American carriers have been proven to be vulnerable to the kind of missile and drone attacks the Houthis have launched against them,” Brandon J. Weichert wrote for The National Interest.
“Nor are Americans the only ones who learn lessons from war,” Weichert added.
“With each attack on an American carrier, the Houthis get better at anti-ship warfare. More troublingly, the Chinese are believed to be using their advanced satellite capabilities to provide real-time, accurate targeting telemetry to the Houthis, who then use that data in their bid to sink an American aircraft carrier.”
Between the Two Carriers: Lost Aircraft, Collisions, and a Fired Captain
The deployment of USS Harry S. Truman hasn’t been close to uneventful. Just last week, a Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, valued at upwards of $70 million, was lost at sea after it fell off the supercarrier while being towed from the hangar bay.
Another Super Hornet operating from USS Harry S. Truman was shot down in a “friendly fire incident” in December.
Two months later, after the carrier completed a resupply at U.S. Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, Greece, the warship collided with a 53,000-ton Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, Besiktas-M, while operating in the Mediterranean Sea near Port Said, Egypt. USS Harry S. Truman was forced to undergo emergency repairs at Souda Bay.
Captain David Snowden, commanding officer of the carrier, was subsequently relieved of command.
One More Aircraft Carrier on the Way… from the UK
It is unclear how long USS Carl Vinson will remain in the region or if the U.S. Navy plans to send another carrier to the Middle East. However, in the coming days, the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which began an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific last month, is expected to transit the Suez Canal later this month and pass through the Red Sea before heading to the Indian Ocean.
No joint operations with the U.S. Navy have been announced, but they could likely occur to highlight the capabilities of the Royal Navy’s warships. This marks just the second deployment of a British carrier strike group (CSG) to the Pacific Ocean in recent decades.
Last year, there was speculation that the Royal Navy would deploy a carrier to operate alongside the U.S. Navy’s flattops, yet that never happened.
Britain may no longer rule the waves, but it will almost certainly want to show the world that it still has a capable naval fighting force. Whether operations against the Houthis will send such a message is also unclear.
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 Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Karl Anderson.
