On Tuesday, the US Central Command said that the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to deter the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"I have directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to begin moving to the Eastern Mediterranean … The Eisenhower CSG will join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived earlier this week," Austin said in a statement.
He noted that the second strike group includes USS Philippine Sea guided-missile cruiser, USS Gravely and USS Mason guided-missile destroyers and Carrier Air Wing 3 with nine aircraft squadrons.