In mid-October 2024 the Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group entered the North Sea

At the heart of the Group and its flagship is the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75). The warship is accompanied by the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Stout (DDG 55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG 105) of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 28 plus the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) and USS Gettysburg (CG 64). The Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) will “conduct a regularly scheduled deployment to the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US Sixth Fleet area of operation,” according to a press release released by the US Navy on September 25.

USS Harry S Truman has Carrier Air Wing ONE (CVW-1) embarked. At its core are four Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA), three from Commander, Strike Fighter Wing, Atlantic, shore-based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia (VFA-81 ‘Sunliners’ and VFA-143 ‘Pukin’ Dogs’ flying Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornets and VFA-11 ‘Red Rippers’ with two-seat F/A-18Fs) plus one from NAS Lemoore, California (VFA-136 ‘Knighthawks’ with F/A-18Es) of Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific. The other units assigned to CVW-1 are Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 144 ‘Main Battery’ flying Boeing EA-18G Growlers, from NAS Whitbey Island, Washington; Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes of the Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 126 ‘Seahawks’; Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72 ‘Proud Warriors’, with Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawks, shore-based at NAS Jacksonville, Florida; and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11 ‘Dragonslayers’, with MH-60S Seahawks. A detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 ‘Rawhides’ operates a Grumman C-2A Greyhound for carrier onboard delivery, linking the ‘ship to shore’. VRC-40 is home based at Naval Station (NS) Norfolk, Virginia, along with HCS-11, and since the carrier arrived in the North Sea the C-2A (BuNo 162161) has been noted visiting Glasgow Prestwick Airport in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander, US Fleet Forces Command, stated: “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. The Truman Carrier Strike Group will contribute to the ongoing training and combat readiness of our naval forces. 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.” An extended cruise in the Mediterranean Sea by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78), that concluded in the spring of 2024, also included operations in the North Sea in late 2023.

The USS Harry S Truman departed its home base at NS Norfolk on September 23. On the same day, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder announced that a small number of additional US military personnel will be sent to the Middle East to augment forces already in the region. The move was in response to renewed fighting between Israeli and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, and fears it had the potential to escalate into a wider regional war. Exact details of the composition or numbers involved were not released to preserve operational security.

Officially, there is no link between the deployment of the carrier and the September 23 Pentagon announcement. But, as succinctly expressed by Lieutenant Adam Biethman, a reactor department officer onboard the USS Harry S Truman, quoted in an October 15 official US Navy news release, “it feels like the world has their eyes on us, speculating where we’ll go and what we’ll do next. I love the flexibility of our strike group, and it’s great to know we’ll be operating and learning from our Allies in the North Sea.”

A series of warfighting training scenarios between the strike group’s ships and CVW-1 was completed off the Azores and Northern Africa before sailing north for the English Channel. The HSTCSG transited the Strait of Dover – the narrowest part of the English Channel – on October 14, heading for the North Sea. There the strike group will conduct operations with Allies and partners from several countries in the region, demonstrating warfighting interoperability and strengthening strategic relationships.

“Our transit through the Strait of Dover to operate with our Allies in the North Sea underscores our commitment to maritime security and the NATO Alliance,” said Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of the HSTCSG. “We will operate with our NATO Allies and partners to strengthen our collective readiness, defence, and deterrence. No nation can confront today’s challenges alone, and we look forward to showcasing our interoperability.”

Captain Dave Snowden, commanding officer of USS Harry S Truman and former executive officer during a 2018 deployment to the North Sea by the carrier, said. “With its unique geographical and environmental characteristics, every time we operate in this region we increase our proficiency and showcase our inherent flexibility to operate anywhere in the world.”

The HSTCSG is due to be joined by the Italian Navy’s Carlo Bergamini-class frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593) to support operations and exercises during portions of the deployment. During the Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) held in August 2024, the HSTCSG practiced interchangeability and transfer of authority with the Carabiniere.

Around 13:00 on October 15 one of the F/A-18Es (coded ‘AB/406’, understood to be from VFA-136) landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport after an unspecified emergency. Later the same day, it was noted on the ‘Gannet’ ramp at the airfield, the area previously used by Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm presence at the airport (known as HMS Gannet), which ended in 2016.