USS Nimitz carrier group to join Vinson in Middle East
June 16 (UPI) -- The Nimitz aircraft carrier group was rerouted from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, joining the USS Carl Vinson. The move comes amid airstrikes between Israel and Iran.
Also, the Defense Department is moving aircraft to the European and Central Command theaters if needed to support U.S. bases in the region, the Navy Times reported.
And other ships, including Navy destroyers, are also headed to the region, a U.S. official told NBC News. Those ships, which are now based in U.S. European Command, include ballistic missile defense, or BMD, capabilities. Some destroyers are now stationed off Israel's coast in the Mediterranean.
"Over the weekend, I directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Monday on X. "Protecting U.S. forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region."
The Nimitz was scheduled to go to the Middle East but officials canceled a stop in Vietnam, NBC News reported. The George Washington carrier group is operating in the Philippine Sea.
The Nimitz strike group could reach the Middle East later this week, an official told Politico. The exact location hasn't been disclosed.
The carrier was sailing in the South China Sea and has made its way through the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea and is about 1,200 miles from Iran.
The Vinson has sailed in the Arabian Sea, and it has partnered with the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group to hit Houthi targets in Yemen, as well. Its home port is San Diego.
President Donald Trump hasn't said whether the United States will join Israel against Iran.
"We're not involved in it," Trump said during an interview with ABC News. "It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment involved."
Israel's aircraft have mainly been targeting nuclear facilities, including the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant built into a mountain and buried deep underground.
The Nimitz carrier group has about 5,000 sailors and Marines, including aircraft crews. Assigned destroyers are Wilbur, Gridle, Meyer and Higbee
The aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1975 and the home port is in Bremerton, Wash.
All but three of the 11 active U.S. aircraft carriers are in homeports now.
The Vinson and Nimitz are among the 10 in an older carrier class. The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier is only one commissioned in the new class.
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