Trump's decision to send aircraft carrier to South America will leave Mideast and Europe with none

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 12:01 AM EDT, October 29, 2025


WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s decision to shift the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier to South America in his campaign against drug cartels is pulling the ship out of the Mediterranean Sea at a time when a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been threatened by new strikes in Gaza.

The U.S. is set to be in the fairly unusual position of having only a single aircraft carrier deployed and none in the waters off both Europe and the Middle East. The change is especially stark after the U.S. joined Israeli strikes on Iran in June and has engaged in some of the most intense combat operations since World War II against Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

Aircraft carriers, with their thousands of sailors and dozens of warplanes, have long been recognized as one of the ultimate signifiers of U.S. military might and the nation’s foreign policy priorities. There have been five carrier deployments to the Middle East since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including two carriers in the region at multiple points this year and last.

The new orders for the USS Gerald R. Ford illustrate the Trump administration’s increasing focus on the Western Hemisphere and mark a major escalation of firepower as the U.S. military ramps up fatal strikes on alleged drug boats. With a buildup of warships, aircraft and troops already in the region, Trump himself has signaled what could be next.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/aircraft-carriers-trump-venezuela-middle-east-a458b9c4f1a5690e19d7c532dd6b7fd7

[Turbineguy]

1. It's OK, he's a military genius too.

On edit:

[surfered]

2. He "knows more than the Generals."

[PSPS]

3. He's ceded influence in europe to putin.

In tump's mind, there are three "spheres of influence:"

Europe/middle east, etc: russia
Far east/asia: china
the americas: himself

[2naSalit]

4. So convenient...

For pooty-poot and bibi.

[Lovie777]

5. Further plummeting the USA economy......

[Miguelito Loveless]

6. Where are the rest of our carrier groups?

Last time I looked we had at 11.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. There is a tracker site -

https://news.usni.org/category/fleet-tracker

Last update Oct. 27 - USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 27, 2025 (they are only showing 3 "CSG"s deployed)

[FredGarvin]

10. Map shows 6

Where are the other 5?

[BumRushDaShow]

14. The map has a mix of groups

The person I was replying to mentioned the Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs), where only 3 are shown.

Wonder if some are just "not active" (maybe getting maintenance).

[FredGarvin]

12. OP was off by 40%

Rage baiter AI

[Grins]

7. Not just a carrier! A carrier battle group.

Carries cannot deploy without support ships to augment and defend the carrier. Cruisers and destroyers go with them - as does a nuclear armed sub!!!

To go after boats powered by Evinrude. This is like using a wrecking ball to swat a mosquito.

[SunSeeker]

8. What? We only have 1 functioning aircraft carrier?

[IbogaProject]

16. Only one near the Middle East and Europe.

[SunSeeker]

17. There should be 3 near the Middle East and Europe.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower : Deployed in the Red Sea.

USS Carl Vinson : Underway in the Indian Ocean's Andaman Sea.

USS Nimitz : In the Arabian Sea, potentially redeploying. 

Map Tracks US Aircraft Carrier Heading Toward Middle East - Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/uss-nimitz-leaves-western-pacific-middle-east-2073933

The Navy is legally required to maintain 11 aircraft carriers worldwide.
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/why-the-u-s-navy-legally-needs-11-aircraft-carriers/

[Pas-de-Calais]

11. Gee, what could go wrong here folk?

[FakeNoose]

13. Isn't that just what Pootie wanted?

[Lonestarblue]

15. Message to Bibi: go ahead and kill everyone in Gaza. We have fishermen from Venezuela to murder.

[EX500rider]

18. We have pretty good coverage in those areas even with out any carriers

The US Air Force operates bases in several Middle Eastern countries, including the largest facility, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, as well as bases in Iraq (Ain Al Asad and Erbil), Saudi Arabia (Prince Sultan Air Base), Jordan (Muwaffaq al Salti Air Base), and the United Arab Emirates (Al Dhafra Air Base)

There are five main U.S. Air Force operating bases in Europe, which are RAF Lakenheath and Mildenhall in England, Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases in Germany, and Aviano Air Base in Italy. In total, the United States maintains more than 40 military bases across Europe, with many of them being Air Force installations, along with a large number of smaller, geographically separated units.