The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has been carrying out dual operations this week with French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group.
The operations got underway April 13 in the Arabian Sea, the Navy said.
“The IKE and Charles de Gaulle share a special place in history — both namesakes worked together to fight for liberty and, as leaders of their respective countries, both worked to ensure peace and stability,” said Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, commander of Carrier Strike Group 2 and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s Task Group 50.2, in a Navy news release.
“Now, more than 70 years later, the spirit of friendship and service lives on in the men and woman who work aboard both aircraft carriers,” Robertson said. “Our combined forces provide security and stability but also highlight that we are stronger when we work together to promote a safe maritime environment.”
This isn’t the first time Ike has conducted joint operations with the French carrier. The two operated together in 2016 in the Mediterranean Sea to provide air support as part of Operation Inherent Resolve and last year to perform maritime operations in the Red Sea.
Ike has been deployed since February — marking its second deployment in a year. The carrier’s 2020 deployment concluded in August after the carrier completed 205 continuous days at sea due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ships currently deployed with the carrier strike group include the guided-missile cruiser Monterey and guided-missile destroyers Mitscher, Laboon, Mahan and Thomas Hudner.
The U.S. Navy announced in March that Ike and its carrier strike group were conducting flight operations against the Islamic State. Task Force 50 oversees Operation Inherent Resolve’s naval strike operations, and the French Embassy in the U.S. said the Charles de Gaulle would lead the task force from March 31 to April 24.
