NORFOLK, Va. — UPDATE: Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group headed to Eastern Mediterranean amid Israel-Hamas conflict, Secretary of Defense says
Thousands of Norfolk-based U.S. Navy sailors are getting ready to deploy.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is leaving port on Friday. The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), and the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) will all be leaving Naval Station Norfolk. Additionally, the destroyer USS Mason (DDG 107) will depart from Naval Station Mayport in Florida.
Several aircraft squadrons from Norfolk and Virginia Beach will also be joining the deployment.
The Navy did not say where exactly the strike group would be heading but called it a regularly scheduled deployment and is not directly in response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Another Norfolk-based carrier group, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), was already out on deployment and was directed to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea after this weekend's violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said it was among "several steps to strengthen Department of Defense posture in the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts."
The Eisenhower last went out on deployment in 2021. All told, about 5,000 local service members will take part in the Eisenhower Strike Group's deployment. There is no word on how long the group will be gone.