The Navy’s Moves in the Eastern Mediterranean, Explained

Unpacking the nuts and bolts of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group.

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U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford anchored at the Gulf of Trieste. The USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest warship in the world. (Photo by Andrej Tarfila/SOPA Images/LightRocket/ Getty Images)

Earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group (CSG) to the eastern Mediterranean to “strengthen Department of Defense posture in the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts…” in response to the terror attacks on Israel. It wasn’t an uncommon move. Moving aircraft carriers and escort ships to trouble spots around the world has been a preferred response option for U.S. presidents since carrier aviation debuted in World War II. Naval forces operate in international waters and airspace without need for basing agreements or overflight permissions. 

So what is the Ford CSG, and what is it expected to do?

What is a carrier strike group? 

A U.S. Navy CSG is comprised of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (in this case, the USS Gerald R. Ford), its embarked carrier air wing (CVW) of strike-fighter aircraft, surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and several combatant warships capable of firing both offensive and defensive missiles. The ships accompanying the carrier are the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, as well as four Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers: the USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt. The U.S. Navy maintains two or three CSGs at sea continuously, time-sharing among the U.S. European Command (EUCOM), the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to protect and sustain U.S. interests around the world and to act as part of the joint force in the event of war. The Navy has 11 active aircraft carriers, each of which deploys as the center of a CSG. 

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  1. John Harvey

    Excellent summary of the current situation.
    4 Carrier Strike Groups are underway today.
    FORD in the Eastern Med, EISENHOWER underway from Norfolk heading east, CARL VINSON underway from San Diego heading west and RONALD REAGAN operating in the Sea of Japan - American seapower on the move in support of our allies and our vital national interests.
    Our Navy - ready, responsive and relevant.
    Who else are you going to call?

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  2. Jfan

    If we're just sending one strike group without a clear plan of engagement, then we could end up with another Gulf of Tonkin incident. Intentionally engaging Hamas with American forces would be better than letting bad guys draw us into a conflict unexpectedly.

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      Combatadj1775

      They have ROE, which is the inherent right to self defense. They have capabilities that may augment the IDF. They have a clear interest in freeing American hostages if the opportunity presents itself. They otherwise provide deterrence in the form of armed menace in the region. All of these things are of tremendous value. The difference between this and the Gulf of Tonkin is that we were spoiling for a fight to justify more troops then. We are not now.

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      1. Jfan

        If our ships are attacked, a large part of the American people will spoil for a fight regardless of whether politicians want one. This would be just what Hamas wants, as military involvement by the United States would add another chair to the negotiating table. American politicians would quickly tire of the conflict and press the Israelis to agree to an armistice. We are better off if Biden makes clear whether we are willing to fight, die, and kill, or not.

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    Andrew H

    A fellow UVA NROTC grad! Glad to read you here. Cheers, Sir.

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    Ben Connelly

    Glad to see you writing for the Dispatch, Bryan! Hope it’ll be somewhat regular!

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  5. Bigdonmck

    Great article. But I just wonder if any talk at all about the size , strength, and capabilities of a CSG is a good idea. Plus more info about submarines was given in this article.
    I'm not exactly the smartest guy in the group, but I'm no dummy, either. I learned a whole lot today about our Navy. And so did the bad guys. I understand that deterrence may be a good idea and letting the terrorists know what they are up against is valid and maybe a good idea.
    But I liked it better when I was dumber....And so were the bad guys. Just an opinion.

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    1. Tim Maloney

      This is public domain info. Hamas could have Googled it before this article.

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      1. Bigdonmck

        Appreciate the info. Yer right, of course. Info about the Navy IS in the public domain. On the one hand, that info could deter the bad guys as in " we have bigger boats....don't mess with us". I guess I'm in the house of " the poor bastards never knew what hit 'em".
        Thanks for the post. Have a great weekend.

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      Ben Connelly

      Trust me, the Navy keeps enough information secure. This bit of knowledge isn’t going to hurt the mission of the Navy or help our enemies. It isn’t specific enough or even anything they couldn’t know via other means. I’m sure Bryan McGrath wouldn’t have written it if he thought helping the bad guys was a chance. I’m sure the Navy would classify even more stuff if they thought that knowledge might help our enemies.

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    3ld3r

    Would be interested in hearing @Bmcgrath discuss a future navy make-up. Seems like CSG is just going to be a missile sponge in the great power conflict of the near future.

    - Is the CSG the backbone of the navy of the future?
    - What other class of capital ship/strike group takes up the role of force projector?
    - Are there any specific low-hanging policy fruits to be picked to build up the domestic shipbuilding industry (yes, I've read Lincicome's stuff). Are there military policy hurdles that could be broken that don't seem obvious (obvious like stop rent-seeking policies such as union wage laws, location selection in select congressional districts, etc.)?

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      Ben Connelly

      He’s written about it a bit on his Substack, Conservative Wahoo. He mostly doesn’t post Navy-related content there, but most of the people who subscribe are there for the times when he does. I agree, though, it would be great if TD asked him to write more detailed articles about future fleet makeup.

      McGrath doesn’t share the view of some others that carriers are outdated. He does see them as an integral part of a future fleet.

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  7. Ben.Bobbitt

    We are sleepwalking into WW3 not by being overly aggressive and confrontational but by being unserious about rebuilding our defense capabilities. No one wants to spend the money on ships and bombs but the longer we wait to wake up and start that rebuilding the more likely it is that our enemies will decide that their window of opportunity is now open. We’ve deluded ourselves into believing that the world has changed and major power conflict is a thing of the past but human nature is a constant and power is the only language that works. To avoid war, prepare for it.

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    Ceich62

    "friendly border nations" omits Russia....

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    1. Nicco

      My first thought was, “we don’t have a border with Russia.” Then I remembered Alaska… If you look at a map, Russia is on the other side of the world. On a globe, however…

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    Combatadj1775

    Señor McGrath, nice to see you on this platform. Great job explaining, I felt like I was back in Naval War College! For folks unfamiliar with Brian, he is a leading expert in naval and overall maritime affairs, and a proponent of dressing smartly, two subjects that the future of the free world depend upon.

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      Bmcgrath

      Indeed, thank you!

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  10. Brett

    Very helpful, thank you. When did 2 or 3 CSGs become the norm? Has it always been? I thought it used to be more like 6 or 7 continuously at sea.

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      George.Skinner

      The Navy used to have 15 CSGs during the Cold War. That's dropped to 10-11 now, which is less than the 12 that the Navy used to insist was the absolute viable minimum.

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      Jeff Younger

      During Desert Storm we had 3 in the Persian Gulf at once (a first). But that was highly unusual and a product of ongoing hostilities. The carriers themselves require extensive maintenance (3-6 months) after each deployment (typically 6-12 months), and major maintenance period after several deployments (often 12 or more months). Additionally there are limits to our ability to keep personnel deployed , as commanders need to prevent morale from plummeting amongst the crew which might hamper retention, particularly in positions that are difficult to fill (enlisted/officer nuclear power personnel, pilots/navigators, computer/electronic specialists, etc). Military recruitment has struggled in all branches, and the best way to keep ships sufficiently manned is to retain the trained sailors you have. The longer the deployment, the less likely sailors are to re-enlist (and more likely officers are to resign their commissions).

      The Navy is an extremely demanding service in terms of what it asks of sailors and their families. Being at sea for months on end places real hardships on those back home. Navy spouses endure prolonged separations that frequently end in divorce. It was a primary motivating factor when I resigned my commission. I couldn’t envision a happy home life with the operational tempo required for a career in which command at sea was the goal. I have all of the respect in the world for those who can make it work.

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