USS Eisenhower: Iran Can Expect an Aircraft Carrier on Its Doorstep Presently

The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and her strike group are bound for the Persian Gulf, an area of operations under the command of Fifth Fleet, as the USS Gerald R. Ford and her strike group remain in the eastern Mediterranean off of Israel’s shoreline. For those, like me, who find Middle Eastern geography a mush, moving from west to east, we have the Ford, then Israel, then the Eisenhower, and then Iran. U.S. naval forces will be on either side of Israel in force, with one of our carriers between Iran and Israel — a little, “Hey, how ya doing?” for the ayatollah to chew on as he considers the degree to which Iran will support its proxies assaulting Israel. After all, with a combat radius of 500 miles, the carriers’ Superhornets can, theoretically, cover just about any part of that area of the globe in 20mm rounds and hellfire. This isn’t to say we will — only that we can. A favorite aphorism: “Not a threat, but a promise.”

Iran’s friends have certainly been busy. Hezbollah worries at Israel’s northern border from Lebanon. Further afield, a U.S. destroyer, USS Carney, intercepted missiles launched from Yemen that were Israel-bound — missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi militia.

About the Author

Luther Ray Abel

Luther Ray Abel is an Associate Editor for National Review. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Luther is a proud native of Sheboygan, Wis.

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The aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower and her strike group are bound for the Persian Gulf, an area of operations under the command of Fifth Fleet, as the USS Gerald R. Ford and her strike group remain in the eastern Mediterranean off of Israel’s shoreline. For those, like me, who find Middle Eastern geography a mush, moving from west to east, we have the Ford, then Israel, then the Eisenhower, and then Iran. U.S. naval forces will be on either side of Israel in force, with one of our carriers between Iran and Israel — a little, “Hey, how ya doing?” for the ayatollah to chew on as he considers the degree to which Iran will support its proxies assaulting Israel. After all, with a combat radius of 500 miles, the carriers’ Superhornets can, theoretically, cover just about any part of that area of the globe in 20mm rounds and hellfire. This isn’t to say we will — only that we can. A favorite aphorism: “Not a threat, but a promise.”

Iran’s friends have certainly been busy. Hezbollah worries at Israel’s northern border from Lebanon. Further afield, a U.S. destroyer, USS Carney, intercepted missiles launched from Yemen that were Israel-bound — missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi militia.