The Ike CSG’s trek to U.S. 5th Fleet makes it the first CSG in the region since the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
At the time, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) had moved from the Western Pacific to the North Arabian Sea to cover the withdrawal.
The strike group will likely still pass through the Mediterranean Sea and through the Suez Canal, rather than sail around the south of Africa, USNI News understands.