The extension of USS Carl Vinson’s scheduled deployment indicates the White House is making the defense of the Red Sea a top priority.
Amid an uptick in Houthi-launched airstrikes in the Red Sea, the United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Pacific to beef up its defenses. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently directed the U.S. Navy’s USS Carl Vinson, currently operating in the South China Sea, to shift course and head toward the Middle East as tensions continue to flare between the United States and Iranian-linked affiliates in the region. Following a two-month-long cessation in conflict, renewed fighting between the Yemen-based terror group and American forces has ensued. The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group has intercepted drone and missile barrages carried out by the Houthis in recent weeks and has subsequently launched airstrikes targeting Houthi assets in Yemen in response. Now that Carl Vinson is set to join its sister Nimitz ship under the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, the dual deployment should deter the Houthis from continued hostilities. Notably, President Donald Trump reduced the authorities required to launch offensive strikes against the Houthis which enables CENTCOM to take action when it deems appropriate.
The Houthis have launched both discriminate and indiscriminate attacks in the Red Sea for years, targeting international shipping vessels and Western warships alike. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that sees nearly a fifth of the world’s annual oil supply run through it each year, has particularly been vulnerable to Houthi barrages. Since October 2023, a sharp uptick in barrages launched by the Iranian-backed group in the Red Sea has culminated in the necessity of a greater U.S. presence in the region. Up until a ceasefire was reached in January between Israel and Hamas, American warships had repeatedly been responsible for intercepting projectile barrages carried out by the terror group.
The extension of USS Carl Vinson’s scheduled deployment by at least three months indicates the White House is making the defense of the Red Sea a top priority. Iran’s proxy affiliates, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen all pose a threat to U.S. interests in the region. Last year, then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also ordered a dual-ship presence in these waters by ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln to join the USS Theodore Roosevelt following a resurgence in fighting between Israel and Iran. According to Task and Purpose, the Navy has expended more than 400 munitions in addition to deploying many carrier groups and independent warships to the coastlines of Yemen.
An overview of the Nimitz ships
As Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, both Harry Truman and Carl Vinson are widely considered to be the best “floating airports” of their kid in the seas today. The Nimitz ships have served the Navy mightily for more than five decades and remain a pinnacle of the navy’s sea-power capabilities. These massive ships can carry roughly sixty airframes, including fourth and fifth-generation fighter jets like the F/18 Super Hornet and F-35 Lightning II. The Nimitz ships are able to lug more aviation fuel and ordnance than their foreign counterparts and are quite formidable. If the presence of the Truman and Carl Vinson does not deter the Houthis, the Iranian rebel group will be risking its own existence if hostilities continue to escalate.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
