The US and NATO allies have concentrated two carrier strike groups in the waters of the Adriatic Sea, according to data from the command of the 6th US operational fleet.
The USS George Bush, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, the Spanish aircraft carrier Juan Carlos I, and the US missile cruiser, destroyer and Italian frigate, among others, are in the region.
As the 6th Fleet notes, the ships’ joint operations in the Adriatic “demonstrate NATO’s shared commitment to security in the region.”
The U.S. carrier group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Bush, which entered the Mediterranean Sea last August 25, in addition to the aircraft carrier, includes the missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and four destroyers – USS Nitze, USS Farragut, USS Truxtun and USS Delbert Black. It also includes a nuclear-powered submarine carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles. The aircraft carrier carries about 90 deck-based aircraft and helicopters, including four squadrons of 48 F/A-18 fighter-bombers.