NORFOLK, Va. — If recent weeks and months have demonstrated anything, it is the importance of having a forward-deployed Naval presence around the globe, as was shown again Thursday night in the Red Sea.
One day after U.S. Central Command forces -- in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain -- conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro summed up the operation:
"We gave them hell last night," he said.
Speaking aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in Norfolk, Del Toro praised the work of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group in carrying out the retaliatory Yemen attacks.
"I could not be more proud of the performance of our fleet, our sailors," he said. "Just last night as you well know, we fired multiple missiles at multiple targets in Yemen because this kind of conduct just cannot continue. It's a violation of international law."
Del Toro was in town for the change of command ceremony for the U.S. Second Fleet, which is tasked with training battle-ready naval forces for overseas operations. New Commander Vice Admiral Douglas Perry said there will undoubtedly be much knowledge to be gleaned from the Red Sea strikes.
"We are on a cycle to learn from these operations and, in fact, we will certainly I think learn a lot," he said.
At Friday's ceremony, Perry assumed command from Vice Admiral Daniel Dwyer. In addition to the Second Fleet, Perry will also lead NATO's Joint Force Command Norfolk.
Also on Friday, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) weighed in on the strikes.
In a statement, the member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Foreign Relations Committee said:
“I strongly condemn the repeated Houthi attacks on international cargo ships and U.S. military assets protecting those ships in the Red Sea. These unacceptable attacks put our servicemembers at risk, increase costs for American consumers, and threaten our shipping and trade industry. I’ve heard concerns directly from the Port of Virginia about the harmful impacts to our Commonwealth. As a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, my top priority is the safety of our service members and all Americans."
The statement continued:
“While the President’s decision to engage with allies in defensive action in this one instance is understandable, I’m concerned about a back and forth that could draw the U.S. closer to war. We need to use all levers at our disposal to de-escalate the widening regional conflict. The lessons of the past 25 years strongly militate against involving American troops in armed conflict in the Middle East.”