ARABIAN GULF --
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) completed a scheduled transit through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Gulf, Nov. 26.
“Our passage through this important strait and continued presence in the area plays a critical role in maintaining the freedom of navigation that is key to regional security and stability,” said Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2, IKECSG. “I am incredibly proud of the sustained professionalism of each IKECSG Sailor, especially in evolutions like a strait transit, where detailed planning, precision navigation and the proficiency of our warfighting teams are on full display.”
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the busiest shipping lanes, with one-fifth of the world’s energy supply transiting through the strait annually. This waterway is critical to ensuring and safeguarding the stability of global commerce.
More than 500 ships sail through the Strait of Hormuz in a typical week, a steady flow of maritime traffic crucial to the vitality of the nations in the Middle East region.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE) passed through the strait with the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), guided missile destroyers USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Stethem (DDG 63), and French Navy destroyer FS Languedoc (D 653) along with air support from a French Navy E-2C Hawkeye and French Air Force Rafale strike aircrafts.
“The Mighty IKE brings unmatched capabilities wherever it goes,” said Capt. Christopher Hill, commanding officer of IKE, flagship of IKECSG. “We place ourselves where our nation’s leaders need us to be and on time, in order to meet the full range of maritime security requirements of the mission at hand.”
The IKECSG’s transit through the Strait of Hormuz marks the first aircraft carrier to operate in the Arabian Gulf since the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in September 2020. IKECSG presence in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, where it has operated since Nov. 4, demonstrates the U.S. and its partners’ commitment to the free flow of commerce, regional security and freedom of navigation.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Middle East Region. Along with IKE, deployed strike group assets include staffs, ships and aircraft of CSG 2, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22, USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3.
IKECSG units departed their homeports of Norfolk, Virginia, and Mayport, Florida, on Oct. 13 and 14 for a scheduled deployment.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprising 21 nations, includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb.