USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Will Arrive In Mideast Waters This Weekend

The USS Nimitz carrier strike group is en route to Middle East waters and is expected to arrive this weekend, a US official tells Fox news on Friday, after the carrier departed the South China Sea on Monday.

This is the latest confirmation that the US Navy will now have two aircraft carriers in the Middle East at the same time. While reports previewed this movement earlier this week, making it no surprise, this is the first revelation of a more precise timeline.

As for the prior reporting via military sources, Stars & Stripes stated, “The aircraft carrier and its strike group left Bremerton, Wash., in March for the Indo-Pacific region for what is expected to be the ship’s final deployment. Now, the Nimitz and the warships sailing with it will join the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Middle East, the defense official said.

Currently, the USS Carl Vinson is already positioned in the Arabian Sea, while the Navy has also lately confirmed deployment of the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Mediterranean, presumably as ‘back-up’ – though that mission had long been shechuled.

As for the Nimitz, its is currently underway westbound from the Strait of Malacca. So this will place in total three carriers within reach of the Middle East theatre of operations.

Stars & Stripes has recently offered the following background on the last week of the Iran-Israel aerial war:

Each carrier strike group typically brings with it one attack submarine, one cruiser and two or more destroyers, in addition to an air wing of F/A-18 Super Hornets and (on some carriers) F-35 Lightning strike fighters. The overall package delivers a powerful land-attack punch, but also enhances regional air defense with a combination of anti-aircraft, anti-drone and anti-ballistic-missile capabilities. 

Two destroyers operating in Central Command have already been involved in defeating Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel over the past week, a Navy official told Norfolk’s WAVY. USS The Sullivans and USS Arleigh Burke both expended interceptors over the weekend to shoot down Iranian attacks, the official confirmed. 

President Trump conveyed via the White House Press Secretary on Thursday afternoon that he will make a decision on striking Iran within the next two weeks.

Trump words and ‘warning’ to Tehran were as follows: “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”