The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (Ike CSG) last month returned from a historic deployment in the Middle East region.

The CSG -- which includes Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 3, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and USS Mason -- was deployed to the region from November 2023 to June 2024.

The Eisenhower spent much of its deployment involved in Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US-led multinational effort to protect merchant vessels moving through the region from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

The effort there has been described as the most kinetic battle the US Navy has faced since World War II.

In total, Eisenhower CSG ships launched 155 standard missiles, and 135 Tomahawk missiles as part of self-defense and preplanned strikes, according to the US Navy.

The CSG's aircraft also expended almost 60 air-to-air missiles and 420 air-to-surface weapons.

The United States remains committed to the security of the region even as the Eisenhower CSG returns home. The Theodore Roosevelt CSG arrived in the region on July 12.

Aviation excellence

The CSG's aviation units, flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet, were key to its success in countering threats to maritime interests, according to details published by the Navy on July 14.

Strike Fighter Squadron 32 (VFA-32), nicknamed the "Fighting Swordsmen," logged over 3,000 combat hours and executed almost 1,500 combat missions during the deployment.

The squadron launched approximately 120 precision-guided air-to-surface munitions during strike operations and downed Houthi one-way attack drones with over 20 air-to-air missiles.

Notably, the squadron included the first US female pilot to achieve an air-to-air kill, taking down a Houthi drone.

Meanwhile, Strike Fighter Squadron 131 (VFA-131), also known as the "Wildcats," accumulated more than 3,200 flight hours and took part in almost 2,300 combat missions.

It deployed more than 25,855kg of ordnance and intercepted numerous one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea.

For its part, Strike Fighter Squadron 105 (VFA-105), the "Gunslingers," led the first self-defense strikes on Houthi-controlled Yemeni territories in January alongside coalition forces.

The squadron's pilots intercepted dozens of Houthi UAVs in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea between December 2023 and June 2024, achieving a significant milestone by employing the AIM-9X infrared-seeking missile in combat.

Additionally, they used for the first time in combat the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile from an F/A-18E Super Hornet and the Joint Standoff Weapon-C Variant.