The Ike Carrier Battle Group and the Crisis in the Red Sea | Conference Proceedings

In advance of deployment Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Battle Group (Ike The CSG had expected to spend most of its time in the U.S. Sixth Fleet, operating with partners and allies and building NATO relationships – perfect timing as 2024 marks NATO’s 75th anniversary. However, the mission changed abruptly following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. Since then, the Ike The CSG has been involved in most combat operations since World War II in defense of the strike group and freedom of navigation.

As I write this in early June 2024, Ike The CSG has been in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Gulf for more than seven months (and has been extended twice). During that time, we have flown more than 13,000 sorties totaling over 29,500 flight hours. Each of the ships in the strike group has flown more than 65,000 nautical miles. Most notably, our aircraft have fired more than 80 air-to-air missiles and dropped more than 350 air-to-ground weapons, and our ships have fired more than 100 Standard and Tomahawk missiles. All of this is directed against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels who threaten civilian commercial shipping, while also employing anti-ship ballistic missiles against these noncombatants.

Ships belonging to the US and coalition forces are also being targeted. We have to be 100% correct, whereas the Houthis only have to be right once.

This deployment was unprecedented in every way. Our operations in the Red Sea include a long list of “firsts,” and while we are still learning and evolving, with every missile and unmanned system we engage and destroy, we gain important combat experience that will help us in future conflicts. Below are some high-level overviews of what kept us alive in the fight against an unpredictable adversary.

Composite warfare. One of the keys to our success has been applying the Composite Warfare Commander (CWC) structure to a distributed area of ​​operations. Rather than focusing solely on a defensive umbrella around the carrier, my warfighter commanders direct their areas across the CSG’s vast area of ​​operations. The Destroyer Squadron Commodore, for example, focuses primarily on moving destroyers across the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden to maximize their combat potential, while the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Commander works hand-in-hand with coalition partners and the Combined Air Operations Center on consolidated area defense for the entire sector in which our task force operates. The CWC structure allows for highly integrated planning at the fleet and strike group levels, but execution is delegated and distributed across the entire force. Unit commanders are entrusted with the execution of their missions and tactical maneuvers through mission command.

Warfare is constantly evolving. We saw this firsthand when the Houthis used different methods to locate and attack specific vessels. In combat, when the Houthis’ missiles and attack drones fly in salvos and swarms, the problem is too complex and too fast for any one person to handle. Instead of having to ask for permission to “release batteries,” every strike group commander knows my intent and is empowered to act accordingly. I trust these leaders to act decisively, and I will always have their backs and support their actions and decisions.

Deployment in a weapons deployment zone. Since our arrival in the Fifth Fleet, we have been focused on the task at hand: stopping the threat to innocent lives and freedom of navigation posed by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen. To do this effectively, the Ike The CSG has been conducting combat operations in the Weapons Engagement Zone (WEZ) for over half a year. We must operate there to break the killing chain and weaken the Houthis’ capabilities. There is no place to retreat because we operate organically and without joint forces.

Anti-ship missiles (ASBMs) are lethal and have never been used in combat until this conflict. Our destroyers shot down several ASBMs approaching the strike group or other ships. When an ASBM, cruise missile, or unmanned system is already airborne, their speed and flight profile leave very little time to react. The best thing to do is to stop the threat before it is launched. By using organic assets (air squadrons, intelligence, etc.) and inorganic support (national technical assets, MQ-9 Reaper, etc.), we were able to deliver self-defense strikes against these threats to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.

A defense in depth ensures that the strike group minimizes the risk of detection and targeting while operating in the enemy’s HEZ. It starts with a clear understanding of the battlespace. Recognizing what we know and what the enemy knows about us is essential to maintaining a competitive advantage.

Extensions. The Ike The CSG departed Norfolk, Virginia, in October 2023 for a planned seven-month deployment. While the Chief of Naval Operations advocates limiting deployments to seven months, taking into account personnel tempo and maintenance schedules, the world obviously has a say. The Houthi aggression required the Ike CSGs stay on station longer than planned. Frankly, no one was surprised when extensions kept us at sea beyond those seven months. The last three CSGs on the East Coast were each extended while deployed, an average of 8.7 months. Ike CSG is exactly where it needs to be.

Deployment in the air squadron. Carrier Air Wing 3 was the Ike The backbone of CSG. The Battle Axe team believes there should be no weak links in the chain, so the leaders look at every part of every season to see if we can do more with what we have.

We have achieved advantages in the employment of advanced anti-radiation missiles by the EA-18G Growler, the employment of Hellfire missiles by the MH-60R, the command and control support in support of dynamic target acquisition by the E-2C+ Hawkeyes, and the norm of being on alert for 60 minutes or less.

Those who wonder about that last statement should remember that we were inside the HEZ for most of this deployment. We had to be prepared to defend not only ourselves but anyone within range, as we faced an adversary that had no respect for international law or the rules-based order.

Training: Take it seriously. Different opponents require different tactics. The Ike CSG has been trained to be agile, flexible and lethal. From the availability/final assessment of the Bespoke Ship Training Problem through Group Sail, Air Wing Fallon and Composite Training Unit Exercise, we have been tested to the limit with world-class training and it shows. I attribute our success in the Red Sea to the pre-deployment training we received, particularly the innovative approach to combat readiness. Future forces would benefit from incorporating more unmanned scenarios (airborne, surface, submerged) into the training continuum.

logistics. Logistical support is critical and requires a high level of coordination to support dynamic and distributed maritime operations. The supply of fuel, food, parts and mail was essential to maintaining the Ike CSG has been fighting non-stop for months, and expeditionary reloads to replenish ammunition were one of the developments we had to figure out in real time and on the ground.

In coordination with fleet logistics experts, Military Sealift Command (MSC) kept our ships sailing, our aircraft airborne, and our weapons firing in self-defense. It was a great proof of concept to have MSC’s combat logistics fleet stay on station to refuel us while refueling through a series of consolidated cargo operations using MSC-chartered tankers. The logistics support we receive allowed us to stay on station longer and at peak readiness. These lessons can be applied to any CSG deployed in any theater of operations.

MSC delivers. Our success is shared with every single civilian seafarer on the combat fleet logistics ships and chartered tankers.

Warrior of the combat force. These men and women are our secret weapon. Defending freedom of navigation cannot be accomplished by a single aircraft, a single weapon, or a single ship. It is the effort of the 7,000 people who make up the strike group, who maintain and operate the equipment, who keep the weapons working, who look after their comrades.

When it matters most and maximum readiness must be translated into maximum performance, we rely on the preparation, integration and experience of our people to ensure that we are more than the sum of our parts – we are a carrier battle group the likes of which has not been seen in decades. We are battle-tested and ready to deploy.

For those who come after us

The threats we are fighting in the Red Sea are not unique to the Houthis. The lessons learned from this historic deployment will be used to improve the defensive capabilities of the entire fleet, including against threats identified by the Department of Defense. That’s why every engagement we track, every missile we spot, and every UAV we see flying, we send the data to the experts on land so they can analyze it and make improvements for the next deployments.

Maintaining freedom of navigation in a contested waterway against any adversary is no easy task. There is no pre-determined plan that shows a strike group how to achieve this. It requires innovative thinking, situational awareness and honest assessment to counter threats as significant and consequential as those currently hampering legitimate international maritime activities in the Red Sea. To date, the Ike CSG’s ongoing work to protect the oceans shows what justice looks like. We hope that we can leave our successors with something to guide them when another conflict like this occurs, no matter where in the world it takes place.