USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) sails in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility. (Credit: CENTCOM/X)
The waves crashed against the hull of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, one of the most common and the second most modern in the United States’ arsenal, as it pushed through the waters in the Gulf of Oman.
On Aug. 26, the Pentagon extended the deployment of the Roosevelt – the fourth such “leviathan of the sea” sent by the U.S. to the Middle East since the Gaza war began.
“We continue to assess that there is a threat of attack,” a Pentagon spokesperson told reporters, “and we again remain well-postured to be able to support Israel’s defense as well as protect our forces should they be attacked.”
Iran is still expected to retaliate to the killing of Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31st, though it has yet to take action.
The Roosevelt was meant to be replaced by the USS Abraham Lincoln, which arrived on Aug. 22, but the day after Hezbollah's response to the assassination by Israel of top military commander Fouad Shukur, the Roosevelt’s stay was renewed, meaning now the U.S. has two aircraft carriers in the region.
Before them, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier spent the first three months of the Gaza war in the eastern Mediterranean, leaving in January, while the Dwight D. Eisenhower operated in the Red Sea from mid-October until June, as part of a U.S.-led operation to confront the Houthis’ shipping attacks.
‘Instruments of power projection’
Aircraft carriers are a cornerstone of naval strategy — massive floating fortresses that serve as mobile air bases designed to allow certain superpowers to carry out rapid and sustained military operations in international waters.
The U.S. has eleven of these carriers, “instruments of power projection,” as military expert Riad Kahwaji puts it, making America “the only superpower” with this much military force to wield. Only a handful of countries have aircraft carriers and the American fleet is more than all other countries’ carriers combined.
“Henry Kissinger famously referred to them as ‘100,000 tons of diplomacy,’ highlighting their role in exerting pressure, enhancing deterrence, and facilitating diplomatic efforts,” Kahwaji told L’Orient Today.
Their large size also makes them a potential target for anti-ship missiles, particularly those developed by nations like China and Russia, which are designed to threaten carriers from long distances, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
For protection, each carrier operates within a formation known as a ‘strike group’ made up of guided missile cruisers, anti-aircraft destroyers and an anti-submarine frigate. “This formation significantly enhances the carrier's protection,” Kahwaji said, “making the task of sinking one incredibly difficult, even for nations like China or Russia." Some strike groups also have submarines and anti-submarine helicopters to help protect the carriers from underwater threats.
‘Floating towns’
Aircraft carriers are armed with an array of weapons to both protect themselves and project force, including close-in weapon systems (CIWS) like the Phalanx, which can destroy incoming missiles and aircraft at close range, and surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) such as the Sea Sparrow, designed to engage threats at greater distances.
"Aircraft carriers are like floating towns, with a crew of nearly 5,000 sailors and pilots, capable of carrying about 80 state-of-the-art fighters like the F-18 and F-35," Kahwaji said.
Since the ships are equipped with a wide array of ordnance and are able to deploy fighter jets within minutes, Kahwaji stated that “their effectiveness and value have been proven in every major conflict since World War II.”
Expensive, slow and challenged by the Houthis
However, despite their formidable capabilities, "one of the weaknesses of the U.S. Navy is that it has a limited number of shipbuilding and maintenance docks – only 11 across the entire U.S.,” said Mounir Shehadeh, formerly a special coordinator to the U.N. on behalf of the Lebanese government.
Aircraft carriers are also incredibly expensive to build and maintain, with each new carrier costing upwards of $13 billion, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.
The missiles onboard the ship have also proven costly.
In the current Gaza war, Yemen’s Houthis have consistently used cheap one-way drones and anti-ship missiles that cost a fraction of the anti-drone missiles used by the U.S. carriers.
“Billion-dollar aircraft carriers and destroyers are being harassed by attack drones that cost a few hundred dollars, precision missiles that cost thousands of dollars, unmanned submarines and suicide boats,” Shehadeh explained, adding that adversaries of the U.S. could “benefit from Yemen’s experience in countering the U.S. Navy and forcing Eisenhower to withdraw from the Red Sea.”
While the deterrence objectives seem to have failed, the U.S.-led coalition established in the Red Sea is working under a limited mandate designed primarily to protect ships passing through the sea and reduce the military capabilities of the Houthis. Nonetheless, even in terms of countering incoming attacks, the destroyers defending the carriers have their limits.
According to Shehadeh, these ships accompanying the carriers only maintain around 90 missiles each, so, should more than 90 drones or missiles be launched toward it, the destroyer would quickly run out of defense missiles, forcing it to resupply in the nearest available port, leaving the aircraft carriers vulnerable to attacks.
In May, the Houthis launched attacks at U.S. military ships in the area that were, according to the U.S. military, all shot down or missed their targets.
Military evolution
As threats evolve, so too will carriers, with CRS stating that future designs would likely incorporate more advanced defensive systems, reduced radar signatures and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enhance their operational reach.