As the jet sits on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, its markings illuminate the enemy targets that it’s destroyed in recent months and underscore the intensity of the fight to protect commercial shipping from persistent missile and drone attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
But they also hint at the fatigue setting in, as the carrier, its strike group and about 7,000 sailors close in on their ninth month waging the most intense running sea battle since World War II. That raises difficult questions about what comes next as U.S. military and defense leaders wrangle over how they will replicate the carrier’s combat power if the ship returns home to Norfolk, Virginia.
Already, the carrier’s deployment has been extended twice, and sailors post dark memes around the ship about only getting one short break during their steadily growing tour. Some worry they could be ordered to stay out even longer as the campaign drags on to protect global trade in the vital Red Sea corridor
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Considering the fatigue and extended deployments mentioned, do you believe there should be a limit to how long military personnel can be kept in active combat zones?
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
Is the protection of global trade routes a sufficient justification for the extended military engagement seen with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower?
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
How do you think the stress of a long-term deployment, like that of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, impacts the mental health of sailors?
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Would you support the continued use of U.S. aircraft carriers in prolonged conflicts overseas if it meant ensuring the safety of commercial shipping routes?
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How do you feel about the idea of military personnel being away from their families for extended periods to fulfill missions like fighting the Houthi rebels?
