US Military Orders Second Aircraft Carrier Group To Middle East

The US military has announced a second aircraft carrier group will deploy to the Middle East to respond to regional threats to stability as US forces continue to hit Iran-linked Huthi fighters in Yemen from its ships in the Red Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on April 1 that the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson will join the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Middle East «to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region».

The Carl Vinson has been ordered to arrive from the Indo-Pacific following completion of a scheduled exercise, Parnell said without saying when it would get there.

The announcement comes as US forces hit Huthi fighters in Yemen with near-daily air strikes in a campaign aimed at ending the threat they pose to civilian shipping and military vessels in the region.

«The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the Centcom Aor (area of responsibility) and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region», Parnell said. Centcom is the US military command responsible for the region.

Parnell added that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth continues to make clear that «should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people».

The Huthis, which the United States has designated as a terrorist group, began targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after the start of the Gaza war in 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.

Huthi attacks have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal, forcing many companies to send their goods on a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa that takes considerably longer.

President Donald Trump vowed on March 31 that strikes on the Huthis will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.

«The choice for the Huthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Huthis and their sponsors in Iran», Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump added that the Huthis had been «decimated» by «relentless» strikes since large-scale air strikes began on March 15, saying that US forces «hit them every day and night – Harder and harder».

The large-scale air strikes began after Trump warned the Huthis that «hell will rain down upon you» if they did not stop their extremist actions, including missile launches against Israel.

Trump has also said that «there will be bombing» if Iran does not reach a deal on its nuclear program.

Huthi officials said at least 12 civilians were killed and another nine injured in the US attacks, but the claims could not be independently confirmed. The officials vowed revenge without specifying how it would carry it out.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 16 said the attacks were «a message to Iran» to stop supporting the Huthis, and Hegseth said Iran «is on notice» that Huthi attacks on American ships, aircraft, and troops will not be tolerated.

RFE/RL