US is considering deploying second aircraft carrier near Israel

A second US aircraft carrier could be deployed to the east Mediterranean alongside another sent to the region after the attack by Hamas on Israel. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship, has already been mobilized along with a carrier strike group that includes other warships and a fleet of fighter jets. Military officials are now weighing whether to also send a second carrier strike group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The warship was already scheduled to visit the Middle East, but Pentagon leaders are now deciding whether it should accompany the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Placing both carriers and their accompanying ships in the eastern Mediterranean, close to the coast of Israel and the Gaza Strip, would amount to a massive show of force that would also serve as a deterrent against other groups who could join the conflict. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he ordered the Ford carrier strike group to be ready to assist Israel after the attack by Hamas that has left more than 1,000 dead on both sides. Americans are among those killed and missing .

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, and its approximately 5,000 sailors and deck of warplanes will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers in a show of force that is meant to be ready to respond to anything, from possibly interdicting additional weapons from reaching Hamas and conducting surveillance.

America’s deployment of its most sophisticated and expensive military hardware marks a major show of force and comes along with the pledge of weapons and equipment to the Israeli Defense Forces. A carrier strike group is a naval force comprised of an aircraft carrier at its center, along with a fleet of support ships and often attack submarines. The US has 11 carrier strike groups, each with enough firepower to match the forces of many small and mid-sized countries.

The large deployment reflects a U.S. desire to deter any regional expansion of the conflict. But the Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for ‘significant military steps’ to retaliate against Hamas.

Along with the Ford the U.S. sent the cruiser USS Normandy and destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt, and the U.S. is augmenting Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region. ‘The U.S. maintains ready forces globally to further reinforce this deterrence posture if required,’ Austin said in a statement.

In addition, the Biden administration will be rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions. The first security assistance will begin moving today and arriving in the coming days, Austin said.

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