This past weekend, the San Diego-based USS Carl Vinson took over responsibility for the airstrike campaign against ISIS from the USS George H. W. Bush, which has been in the Persian Gulf since June.
USS Carl Vinson Commanding Officer Capt. Karl O. Thomas wrote on the Vinson Facebook page on Oct. 17:
"(Saturday), the Air Wing will have their first set of flights in the Arabian Gulf. Now that the Operation we are joining has an official name, Inherent Resolve, our team stands as ready as ever to demonstrate the resolve of our great Nation."
As Home Post reported last week, the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Middle East on Oct. 15.
The strike group consists of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, along with USS Bunker Hill, USS Gridley, USS Sterett, and USS Dewey.
The nine fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 17 are also part of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group.
According to the Los Angeles Times, other San Diego-based units are in the Persian Gulf for Operation Inherent Resolve:
Also in the Persian Gulf region are 4,000 Marines and sailors on the three ships of the San Diego-based Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group. The Marines are from the Camp Pendleton-based 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group departed San Diego on Aug. 22 for a nine-month deployment to the the Navy's 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, which includes the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Persian Gulf.
