More U.S. Fighters Deploy as Part of Carrier Battle Group Heading to Mediterranean

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group will offer options to help dissuade a second front opening, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, October 16, 2023 at 04:01 PM ET

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The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) transits the Atlantic Ocean in October 2015. [Credit: U.S. Navy]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. has deployed a second carrier strike group, led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the eastern Mediterranean, joining the USS Gerald R. Ford CSG already in the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that this increased U.S. force posture reinforces America's "ironclad commitment to Israel’s security" and aims to deter any state or nonstate actor from escalating the ongoing conflict.
The deployment comes as Israel continues intensive airstrikes on Hamas targets in Gaza and tensions rise significantly along its northern border with Lebanon due to exchanges with Hezbollah.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a second carrier strike group, including nine fighter squadrons, to deploy from Norfolk, Virginia, to the eastern Mediterranean.

“The increases to U.S. force posture signal the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or nonstate actor seeking to escalate this war,” Austin said Saturday of the deployment.