Mon Jul 11, 2016 22:37:45
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier is in the eastern Mediterranean to carry out strikes against the Islamic State (ISIS / Daesh / ISIL) group.
Jesse A. Wilson, the US Navy Rear Admiral and Commander for Carrier Strike Group 10, says the Mediterranean is a good location to carry out air strikes against targets in Syria and Iraq. "Being the mobile and flexible force that we are, this is a good location to, once again, serve the Centcom commander, the European commander and the African command. Whatever mission we're given, we are trained for that mission and available. We have not been tasked to do anything in Libya but we are ready and well trained to do so if called upon."
The ship carries more than 5,000 US Navy personnel.
Onboard there are restaurants, a supermarket and even a Starbucks coffee shop, serving more than 1,000 cups of coffee per day. But according to one of the sailors aboard there's not a huge amount in the way of entertainment. "You got the NWR (entertainment center aboard where movies are played), you got the gym. Lot of people like to read, we got a library and stuff," says Kevin Nichols.
The USS Eisenhower is in operation at a crucial time. The Kremlin has said that both Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin have reaffirmed their readiness to "build up coordination of Russian and US actions in Syria in the military sphere."
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