Every day, warplanes roar off the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson in the northern Arabian Gulf to strike terror targets in Iraq and Syria. On board the massive aircraft carrier are 5,300 San Diego-based troops and 65 fighter jets.
"We bring an awful lot to the fight," said Capt. Karl Thomas, the ship's commanding officer.
"The ship's force is there to provide all the services to assure we can project power off the flight deck," Thomas added. "The air wing is the striking arm of our carrier."
The crew's daily missions are part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a U.S.-led coalition to fight off the self-proclaimed Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of land and left a trail of murders and atrocities.
"Every day, the targets are a little bit different," depending on…where they need our support," Thomas said.
Six months into the nine-month deployment, Thomas said his team remains strong, but progress in defeating ISIS is slow.
“When we first arrived, certainly ISIS had a lot more freedom of movement,” Thomas said. “They certainly are a capable force, but at the same time, they’re kind of hunkered down ‘cause they know if they stick their head up too much it might get lopped off.”
Thomas said he's encouraged by the number of coalition partners working together at sea and in the air.
"You can see from what happened in Libya that this is not just an isolated problem, and I think they all realize that as well," Thomas said.
Since September, U.S. forces, including troops aboard the USS Carl Vinson, have flown more than 10,000 strike missions.
"The team is very strong and the sailors out there on the flight deck, day in and day out, work long hours to make sure that we get the aircraft off the deck and recover them safely."
