Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Enters U.S. Fifth Fleet

By Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs | July 12, 2016

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(July 8, 2016) The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), followed by the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94), passes under the Freedom Bridge while transiting the Suez Canal. The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

(July 8, 2016) The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), followed by the fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94), passes under the Freedom Bridge while transiting the Suez Canal. The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (Photo by U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class J. Alexander Delgado/Released )


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GULF OF ADEN --

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), the flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG), entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, July 8.

 

The carrier, accompanied by the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) and the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56), concluded operations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, July 7. Four IKECSG ships are already operating in U.S. 5th Fleet: the guided-missile destroyers USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Stout (DDG 55), USS Mason (DDG 87) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61).

 

Aircraft carriers and embarked air wings help ensure the U.S. military has naval and air capabilities to support operational requirements while meeting other security commitments in the region.

 

“The IKECSG is dedicated to our commitment to enhanced security operations in this diverse theater," said Rear Adm. Jesse Wilson, commander, IKECSG.  “Our presence strengthens the bond with our regional partners and demonstrates our long-standing commitment to the stability of the region.”

 

The strike group will conduct maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR).

 

“We are ready to continue the fight while operating in 5th Fleet,” said Wilson. “I am proud of our Sailors.  Their hard work, dedication and efforts are making a difference in accelerating the fight against ISIL.”

 

Since June 28, CVW-3 has completed a total of 116 sorties from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of OIR.

 

The IKECSG is the first CSG to deploy under the new optimized fleet response plan (OFRP), a cross-community collaboration effort to better prepare the Fleet in meeting combatant commander needs without straining the ships, planes and Sailors. It is also the centerpiece of the Great Green Fleet for the second half of 2016, an initiative that demonstrates efforts to transform energy use.

 

U.S. 5th Fleet is responsible for an area encompassing approximately 2.5 million square miles of water including the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean.

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