Pentagon chief extends deployment of aircraft carrier, ships in the Red Sea as Houthi attacks go on

WASHINGTON — The US Navy’s aircraft carrier strike group, which has carried out crucial strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen for months to protect military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, will remain in the region for at least another month, according to US officials .

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed the order last week to expand the deployment of the four ships for a second time, instead of bringing home the aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and its three warships. The other ships in the strike group are the USS Philippine Sea, a cruiser, and two destroyers, the USS Gravely and the USS Mason. All together they included approximately 6,000 sailors.

The decision means the sailors and the airline’s Air Wing won’t be home until mid-summer, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been made public. Officials declined to give exact dates.

A typical ship deployment lasts about seven months and the ships left their homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, in October. Austin approved the first order to expand their deployment about four weeks ago.

Austin had been considering the decision for a further extension for some time. Navy leaders routinely push to bring ships home to maintain a repair schedule and give sailors a much-needed break. But U.S. Central Command leaders have long argued that having an aircraft carrier in the region is critical to international security, as well as a deterrent to Iran.

In recent months, the ships have played a crucial role in protecting commercial and military vessels from a dramatic wave of attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. And officials say a significant U.S. Navy deployment to the region sends a strong message to the commercial shipping sector that ships can be protected as they travel the crucial Red Sea transit route from the Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

About 12% of world trade typically passes through the waterway dividing Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, including oil, natural gas, grain and everything from toys to electronics.

The Houthis have been attacking ships since November and say they want to force Israel to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. But the ships targeted by the Houthis largely had little or no ties to Israel, the US or other countries involved in the war. The rebels have also fired rockets into Israel, although these largely fell short or were intercepted.

Eisenhower and his strike group have been involved in routine operations against the Houthis all year. They have also taken part in five major joint missions with British forces to attack dozens of drones, rocket launchers and other facilities and targets of the militant group.

The ships also lead Operation Prosperity Guardian, which was announced by Austin in December as a multinational mission to ensure the safety and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

On Thursday, for example, F/A-18 fighter jets from the Eisenhower struck a series of targets in Yemen, responding to a recent increase in attacks by the group. And other ships in the strike group also launched missiles as part of the operation.

Any decision to bring the aircraft carrier home would leave the region without the ship-based fighter jets, and commanders would have to rely more heavily on land-based aircraft or other warships, which do not have fighter jets, to take out Houthi drones or other munitions as they prepare to be launched.

According to Lt. Cmdr. Lauren Chatmas, the strike group’s aircraft, has flown more than 12,100 missions, totaling more than 27,200 flight hours, and they have launched more than 350 air-to-surface weapons and more than 50 air-to-air missiles. The warships have each traveled more than 55,000 miles and launched more than 100 Standard and Tomahawk missiles. In total, the strike group pursued approximately 430 pre-planned or dynamic targets in its mission to defend U.S., coalition and merchant ships.