What You Need to Know: The U.S. Navy's USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean as tensions in the Middle East escalate.

-Part of Carrier Strike Group 8, the supercarrier's deployment follows the recent return of USS Theodore Roosevelt and continues the U.S. military's strategy of maintaining a strong naval presence in the region. USS Harry S. Truman will replace USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and provide critical support alongside other U.S. naval forces.

-This deployment underscores the Navy’s commitment to deterrence, particularly amid potential conflicts involving Israel, Iran-backed Hezbollah, and the ongoing war in Gaza.

U.S. Navy Sends USS Harry S. Truman Aircraft Carrier to Mediterranean

The motto of the United States Navy's Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is very direct, "The Buck Stops Here," a reference to the desk plaque that was seen in the Oval Office – yet, it is the warship's battle flag that potential adversaries should take note of.

The flag serves to honor the ship's namesake, President Harry S. Truman, including his career as a U.S. Army artillery commander. Designed by the ship's crew, it features crossed cannons with the phrase " Give 'em hell" – honoring the former president's military career in the First World War, where he served with the Battery D, 129th Field Artillery Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, and later his 1948 presidential re-election campaign. The phrase was uttered by an overly enthusiastic supporter at a campaign rally in Seattle who yelled, "Give 'em hell, Harry."

The motto of the warship should serve as a warning to America's adversaries as CVN-75 and her carrier strike group (CSG) – consisted of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 with nine embarked aviation squadrons; the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8 staff, CVW-1, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28; including the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64); and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) – departed from Norfolk for a regularly scheduled deployment.

However, it may not be business as usual entirely, as CSG-8 is now steaming to the Eastern Mediterranean as conflict between Israel and Iranian-back proxy Hezbollah looks ever likely, and the ongoing war in Gaza closes in on the one-year mark.

"This deployment comes on the heels of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group's nine-month mission that highlighted the need for continuity in our sustained presence amid escalating international tensions," Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said in a statement to USNI News.

"The operational experience gained through these deployments is invaluable for maintaining a deep bench of skilled warfighters with trust and confidence in their system's reliability, adaptability and lethality in a rapidly changing security environment," Caudle added.

Beyond Aircraft Carriers: Build Up of U.S. Forces in the Middle East

USS Harry S. Truman is set to become the latest U.S. Navy supercarrier to be deployed to the region, replacing USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which recently returned to the United States following a nearly nine-month-long deployment. With the arrival of CVN-75, the U.S. will again provide " dual carrier coverage" in the region as USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) continues to operate in the Arabian Sea to deter aggression from Iran.

CVN-75 won't be the only American flattop to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean, as the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1), her amphibious ready group, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are now positioned in the region. The group has remained ready to carry out non-combat evacuations of U.S. personnel should that be required.

Three other Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are also present – including the USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and USS Cole (DDG-67). It isn't clear how long those vessels, which were deployed earlier this year, will remain. The deployment of the CSG-8 to the region could likely see some of those other vessels rotated out, providing a much-needed respite for their crews.

USS Harry S. Truman was last deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in early December as part of the Department of Defense's (DoD's) response to the then-anticipated Russian invasion of Ukraine. CVN-75 remained in the region until September 2022, spending 285 days deployed.

History of Giving 'em Hell

The carrier bearing the 33rd president's name has certainly been an adversary's worst nightmare and likely one that could indeed give them hell.

During the early stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, air wing aircrews flew nearly 1,300 combat sorties from the Mediterranean Sea, while in 2004 as part of a Navy-wide series of re-designations became the immediate superior in command (ISIC) of Carrier Strike Group 10 (CSG-10) and headed to the Persian Gulf. Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 3 (CAW-3) launched 2,577 sorties, totaling nearly 13,000 flight hours, flying combat missions over Iraq. In 2016, the carrier as flagship of Carrier Strike Group 8 (CSG-8) took part in an eight-month air operation against ISIS as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

In addition to combat operations, CVN-75 has also taken part in multiple humanitarian missions including responding to 2005's Hurricane Katrina.

She has won numerous awards that recognize the ship's excellence including the Battenberg Cup in 2003 and again in 2021 for operational excellence during its 2020 deployment to the U.S. 2nd, 5th, and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. Harry S. Truman has also earned multiple Battle "E" awards, notably the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award, which is given to the most battle-ready ship in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. She won that award twice, first in 2004 and again in 2009.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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