Washington Sends Second Aircraft Carrier to the Red Sea as Operations Against the Houthis Escalate
Yemen Monitor/Agencies:
The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) has decided to send a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, coinciding with the continued intensive air campaign launched by the US against the Houthi group in Yemen, according to the “Politico” news site.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a directive to extend the deployment of the “Harry S. Truman” carrier strike group, which is currently operating in the Red Sea, for at least an additional month, according to two defense officials who declined to be named for operational security reasons.
The “Carl Vinson” aircraft carrier, accompanied by escort destroyers, is scheduled to join the group in the coming weeks, after recently completing a series of joint exercises with Japan and South Korea in the East China Sea.
This is the second time in six months that the US has deployed two aircraft carriers in the Middle East region, but the first under the administration of President Donald Trump.
This move comes at a time when both the U.S. administration and the Department of Defense emphasize that the Asia-Pacific region represents a strategic priority for the U.S. naval and air forces.
However, the recent naval mobilization in the Middle East reflects the need to address the escalating threats in the region, particularly the attacks carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthi group.
This field extension may affect the schedules allocated for the maintenance of U.S. ships, which are already under significant pressure within U.S. Navy repair yards.
Since the beginning of the new round of strikes last week, U.S. forces have carried out several operations targeting missile storage and launch sites, as well as command headquarters of the Houthi group, according to statements from defense officials.
In a related context, President Donald Trump posted on his “Truth Social” platform on Wednesday a statement in which he said that the Iranian-backed Houthis “will be completely eliminated” by U.S. airstrikes, while stressing his call for Iran to immediately stop supplying the group with military equipment.
