Something to think about with the Truman’s deployment.
1. She departed home port September 23, 2024
2. A sailor died onboard from a medical emergency on October 1st.
3. Entered Straits of Gibraltar November 25, 2024
4. Transitted Suez Canal December 12, 2024
5. Had an F/A-18 Shot down by friendly fire December 22, 2024
6. Collided with a merchant vessel while at anchor on February 12, 2025
7. New CO February 20,2025
8. Conducted evasive maneuvers due to being shot at with missiles- that required a DDG to use her CIWS due to how close the missile got, losing another F/A-18 over the side in progress on April 28, 2025
9. Arresting wire #2 snaps while recovering F/A-18’s losing their 3rd jet in 4 months, and the second in a week on May 6, 2025
It is May 8, 2025 and this strike group has been deployed 7 months with no return in sight. They are exhausted. They’ve been in constant combat operations since December, and the crew is tired. The equipment is tired.
We (media and speculators) can sit here and talk about how “Today’s Navy is soft” and “These kids can’t hack it” all we want. But a US carrier has not conducted 6 months of non stop COMBAT operations since the 20 teens. We have not had a situation where these young men and women are having to brace for shock in a real life situation for the first time in their lives, in a very very long time.
I understand that in Vietnam, and the early days of the Gulf War’s, this was standard. But it’s no longer standard. There is no uniform we’re fighting. There is no nation we’re fighting. There’s no clearly defined enemy anymore. It’s time to sit back, and pray for these kids and what they’re going through.
Having been shot at by Houthi’s in 2016, I understand. I know what that is like. I know the panic and fear that sets in. These are no longer errant MiG’s, or RPG’s or 1970’s missiles being shot at us. There are extremely high speed, low flying missiles that have very real chance of hitting, and killing ships and sailors.
Let’s think about this before we criticize the Navy of today.
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