The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and her strike group are sailing for the Mediterranean, according to John Kirby, the White House’s National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications. The deployment of the second US aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean has not been operationally decided, according to Kirby, who spoke at a press conference on Wednesday. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, he pointed out, was moving in that direction.
John Kirby said, “I would also note that the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and her strike group will be departing on a prescheduled, long-scheduled deployment to the European Command area of responsibility. They’ll start that deployment in the coming week or so. They will be going initially across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean, where they will be available if needed.”
“No decisions have been made. I’ve seen some press reporting out there that we’ve already made some kind of final decision that a second carrier is going to be placed in the Eastern Mediterranean. No operational decisions like that have been made, but she will be heading in that direction, her ships will be with her, and she certainly will be an available asset if needed,” he added.
The USS Gerald R Ford and her strike group have already arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean, making this the second US aircraft carrier to travel to the region. As you may also be aware, the USS Gerald R. Ford and her strike group are currently in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to Kirby. They arrived the day before. They exist for deterrence purposes to demonstrate to any potential actors, organizations, groups, terrorist networks, nation-states, or anyone else who harbors hostile intentions toward Israel that we will take our responsibility to protect national security seriously.