An American carrier strike group, led by the USS Harry S. Truman, is currently conducting routine flight operations off the British coast in the North Sea.

The carrier, accompanied by the destroyers USS Stout and USS Jason Durham, as well as the cruiser USS Gettysburg, has been launching fighter jets and helicopters as part of its scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of responsibility.

The USS Harry S. Truman entered the North Sea after transiting through the English Channel last week. These operations are part of its broader mission to maintain combat readiness and enhance the operational capabilities of its naval forces.

Rear Admiral Sean Bailey, commander of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG), spoke of the importance of these exercises, stating, “Over 6,600 Sailors of the Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group have put in a tremendous effort to train and prepare to demonstrate the combat power of our U.S. Naval forces and the warfighting advantage they bring.”

The squadrons of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 embarked aboard Harry S. Truman include:

– The “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11
– The “Pukin’ Dogs” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143
– The “Sunliners” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81
– The “Knighthawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136
– The “Main Battery” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 144
– The “Seahawks” of Control Squadron (VAW) 126
– The “Proud Warriors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72
– The “Dragonslayers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11
– A detachment from the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 4

“This deployment comes on the heels of the Dwight D Eisenhower Strike Group nine-month mission that highlighted the need for continuity in our sustained presence amid escalating international tensions,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet
Forces Command.

“The Truman Strike Group will contribute to the ongoing combat readiness of our naval forces. The operational experience gained through these deployments is invaluable for maintaining a deep bench of skilled warfighters with confidence in their system’s reliability, adaptability, and lethality in a rapidly changing security environment.”

The U.S. Navy also say that throughout its 26 years of service, Harry S. Truman has deployed nine times to support critical missions and numerous operations and played a pivotal role in the United States’ commitment to ensuring a free and open international order that promotes security and prosperity.

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George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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Jim
Jim (@guest_865203)
2 hours ago

No disrespect to the ship or its company but when looking at the air group it’s looking very low end these days. The USN clearly made a mistake by all but ignoring F35 even after the DoD had to go to great expense developing a naval version. F18 is looking like the sword fish of the 21st century. An effective low cost aircraft that’s well past its prime. The fact that the US navy continues to deploy multi billion dollar carriers with no modern combat jets onboard is astounding. Fortunately the USMC went the other way as the did the… Read more »

Paul
Paul (@guest_865216)
1 hour ago
Reply to  Jim

No disrespect to the ship or its company but when looking at the air group it’s looking very low end these days. The USN clearly made a mistake by all but ignoring F35 even after the DoD had to go to great expense developing a naval version. The USN is indeed incorporating F-35Cs into their air groups, but the Pacific CVNs have priority. The Carl Vinson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln air wings have F-35C squadrons assigned already. Theodore Roosevelt can operate them and will likely get either VMFA-311 or VFA-86 very soon. So 3 American CVNs have F-35C squadrons… Read more »

Last edited 1 hour ago by Paul
Jim
Jim (@guest_865267)
5 seconds ago
Reply to  Paul

They can upgrade the F18 all day long much as they did with the sword fish, it’s still slow and it’s not LO.

The USAF a does not believe such aircraft can survive on a modern battlefield yet the USN is doubling down.

That’s exactly what happened with sword fish. Super advanced electronics on a bi plane and good men died trying to fight through ME109’s during the Chanel dash.