General McKenzie’s request, military officials said, calls for 24-hour support of an aircraft carrier and its associated fighter squadrons, and is seen as a specific reference to the Eisenhower, which left its home port in Virginia and into the Mediterranean in February. Zee left. Sea. There it took part in exercises with Italian and Moroccan naval forces. The Eisenhower is now in the Arabian Sea.
Colonel Dave Butler, a spokesman for General Milley, declined to comment on the carrier’s request. Captain Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, also declined to comment. Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said on Wednesday that Mr. Austin “has made it clear that we will conduct the withdrawal in Afghanistan in a safe, orderly and deliberate manner, and that we will do everything possible to keep our forces in place. To protect Afghanistan. the process.”
He also declined to discuss the request, saying that “for operational security reasons, we will also not anticipate specific measures to protect the armed forces that are being planned.”
Current and former senior naval officials said immediate military missions may require expanding the deployment of warships. But when this happens repeatedly, the fleet’s long-term health and readiness can erode, compromising the Navy’s ability to accomplish future missions.
“We have these national assets, such as aircraft carriers, to be available in times of crisis, especially when they are needed to protect the lives of troops on the ground,” said Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, a retired Fifth Fleet commander. , in an interview. . “But you don’t want this to be routine, and that’s what happened in the past.”
On board the Eisenhower, some mariners were already concerned that their deployment would be extended, especially if the carrier will eventually conduct air operations during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which Mr Biden says is due to be completed by September 11.
A Defense Department official said this week that it remains an open question whether US forces should fight their way out of Afghanistan or whether the withdrawal would proceed peacefully. He spoke on condition of anonymity to speak publicly about the matter.