While the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford sits ready in the eastern Mediterranean as the threat of an escalation of fighting in Israel and Gaza looms, there is mounting speculation over just how involved U.S. forces could get in the conflict.
The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group arrived in the eastern Mediterranean on Tuesday, the U.S. military confirmed earlier this week. It was deployed to “deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen this war,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford, with its eight squadrons of attack and support aircraft,is accompanied by guided-missile cruiser, the USS Normandy, as well as the guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Carney, USS Roosevelt and USS Ramage.
The U.S. military has also moved a number of fighter jets into the region, including F-16s, to “augment existing fighter squadrons in the region.”
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“The arrival of these highly capable forces to the region is a strong signal of deterrence should any actor hostile to Israel consider trying to take advantage of this situation,” U.S. Central Command’s General Michael “Erik” Kurilla said in a statement.
Even without directly engaging, the carrier strike group sends a message to make any possible allies of Hamas think twice before throwing in their lot militarily with the Palestinian group. It is not clear how the U.S. would opt to use the carrier strike group in a U.S.-coordinated operation, which still appears to be a way off.
“A great deal will depend on the decisions of the players involved in the coming days and weeks,” military analyst Patrick Fox told Newsweek. “But thus far, it seems the President is positioning the U.S. to be able to bring force to bear in the region if it’s called for—meaning he’s keeping that option on the table.”
Should there be an escalation in violence in northern Israel, along its border with Lebanon, Biden “would have the option of following through on his warning with airstrikes from the Ford’s air group, or USAF assets, in support of the IDF,” Fox said.
The U.S. has said Israel is already using its latest tranche of U.S. military aid, and “that will continue,” U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday. The U.S. has offered to share its “know-how” with the Israeli military to secure the safe return of Hamas-held hostages, Kirby added, saying the U.S. had “replenished” Israel’s interceptor missile stocks from US supplies already in Israel.”
“More aid, more assistance will be coming in coming days,” Kirby said.
Shortly after Hamas fighters started their large-scale land, air and sea attack on Israel on Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. would be “rapidly providing the Israel Defense Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions.”
The U.S. quickly promised to replace supplies for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.
A second U.S. carrier strike group, led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, will soon leave from Virginia on what Kirby described on Wednesday as a “long scheduled” deployment to the Mediterranean. Once there, the group “will be available, if needed.”
No final operational decisions have been made, but it will “certainly will be an available asset if needed,” Kirby said.
“Altogether this gives the U.S. a significant amount of firepower in the region from which to draw on if needed,” military analyst Fox told Newsweek.