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Key Points: The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, has entered the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region, reinforcing U.S. naval presence amid Iran-backed Houthi threats.

-Operating in the Red Sea, Truman’s arrival follows the earlier departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Truman Carrier Strike Group includes guided-missile destroyers and cruisers tasked with deterring aggression and ensuring regional security.

-Recent Houthi claims of driving away U.S. forces were unfounded, as the U.S. Navy has consistently defended commercial shipping and American interests.

-This deployment serves as a clear reminder of U.S. naval capabilities in safeguarding global maritime stability.

Aircraft Carriers USS Harry S. Truman Has Arrived In The Middle East

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which control large swaths of western Yemen, may have to eat their words – as the group made repeated claims it drove away the United States Navy, even claiming victory after the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) departed the region a month ago. This has been only the second time in more than a year that the U.S. Navy had no aircraft carriers deployed to the Middle East.

However, the deployment of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered CVN-72 – which rushed to the region in August to deter Iran and its proxies as Israel was engaged in its fighting with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon – was only meant as a stopgap.

This past weekend, another Nimitz-class carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) began operating in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, after transiting the Suez Canal and entering the Red Sea on Saturday. The carrier and her strike group were last deployed to the region in March 2020.

According to CENTCOM, “The carrier strike group consists of the flagship Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 with nine embarked aviation squadrons; staffs from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8, CVW-1, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28; the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109).”

The U.S. Navy’s eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier departed Naval Station Norfolk on September 23, but the warship headed first to the Arctic Circle and took part in joint naval operations with Norway. CVN-75 was the first NATO carrier to the Arctic region since the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class carrier HMS Prince of Wales took part in this year’s Nordic Response exercises, while it was last year that USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) operated alongside the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) aircraft during the Arctic Challenge Exercise.

The Houthis have so far been mum about the arrival of USS Harry S. Truman, which will remain in the region throughout the winter and perhaps well into the spring to deter any aggressive moves and likely to monitor the chaotic situation in Syria.

Reminder to the Houthis

It needs to be repeated that the U.S. Navy didn’t cut and run as the Houthi militants suggested. Even as CVN-72 departed, other warships have remained.

In fact, Washington has maintained a constant presence in the region since October of last year after Hamas carried out its terrorist attacks in southern Israel. The U.S. Navy responded by deploying the Gerald R. Ford CSG to the eastern Mediterranean.

“USS Carney (DDG-64) transited the Suez Canal, and, shortly after, began the first engagement with Houthi missiles and drones,” USNI News reported.

Just one day after DDG-64 arrived in the Red Sea, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer took part in a 10-hour battle with the Houthis on October 19, 2023 – the most intense combat by a U.S. Navy vessel since World War II. The destroyer successfully fended off barrages of missiles and drones.

U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan.

The U.S. Navy has shown over the past 14 months it will continue to protect commercial shipping and American interests in the region.

Twice this month, two other Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile cruisers – USS Stockdale (DDG-106) and USS O’Kane (DDG-77) – fended off Houthi attacks, first on December 1 and again nine days later on December 10, when the warships were escorted “American-owned, operated- and flagged merchant ships,” USNI News added.

Now another carrier has arrived, serving as a reminder to the Houthis that the U.S. Navy can sail where it wants, and when it wants.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-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. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.