Dual US Navy Carrier Ops In Mediterranean Bring Massive Fire-Power to Middle East

By Kris Osborn, President Center for Military Modernization

The US Navy is experienced with dual carrier operations, have trained for coordinated joint-carrier warfare in the Pacific recently, and the service is poised to potentially conduct something similar in the Mediterranean Sea should it become necessary.

Indeed the USS Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups have been operating together in the Eastern Mediterranean in a gesture of support for embattled Israel as they defend against Hamas terrorist attacks.

Dual carrier operations exponentially increase the air attack potential for the US Navy, as an integrated, combined Carrier Air Wing can launch more than double the amount of sorties. In theory, the two carriers together could launch F-35Cs and F/A-18 fighter jets, a force of arguable unprecedented air power and reach. However, a dual-carrier operation in the Mediterranean involving the USS Ford means their might be less opportunity to attack with F-35Cs, as the ship is slated to receive the necessary modifications to receive the F-35C in the next several years. Nonetheless, the two carrier strike groups could, if necessary, launch a massive coordinated air campaign and also project large-scale land-attack firepower from destroyers and cruisers supporting a Carrier Strike Group

Certainly Navy senior leaders and Pentagon officials have been clear that the increased US presence in the Middle East is a clear warning sign to Hamas and its sympathizers in Iran, Lebanon and other locations throughout the Middle East.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been clear that the increased US presence is intended as a deterrent to show solidarity with Israel as it fights terrorism and protect US personnel now under increased threat in the region.

Dual carrier operations, as evidenced by the US Navy in the Pacific with the USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Nimitz in the Philippine Sea in 2020, require advanced networking and operational coordination. Yet if done successfully, the ability to launch an air attack campaign across a wide envelope in a sustained manner is exponentially increased. The presence of the USS Ford further expanded the reach of both Carrier Air Wings as its larger deck space enables a 33-percent increase in sortie rates. US Navy Ford-class carriers can also much more quickly refuel and rearm due to electric elevator systems and new weapons-handling protocols and procedures.

The dual-carrier presence in the Mediterranean could quickly and easily hold Hamas targets at risk of precision attack or blanket the skies above Israel with protective ISR, however reaching Iran from the Eastern Mediterranean would likely require refueling or a stop on the Arabian Peninsula at places such as the United Arab Emirates. The US Air Force has operated F-22s from the UAE before in an effort to send a message to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and could certainly do the same now if necessary.