US Admiral: Aircraft carrier was transferred to the Mediterranean to send a message to Moscow
The USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier was transferred from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea as a warning to Moscow, according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal that cited Rear Admiral Bret Batchelder.
As the Admiral explained, the redeployment of the aircraft carrier is meant to demonstrate that the US, in partnership with its NATO allies, is committed to “maintaining the balance of forces in the Mediterranean”.
“It is a demonstration of capability. That’s for sure. There are undoubtedly folks who are watching that and this is just a graphic representation of what we’re capable of,” Batchelder said.
“It provides some needed presence in the Med [Mediterranean] to check…the Russians. The unpredictability of what we did with [the USS Harry] Truman kind of makes them think twice,” the Naval officer added.
As reported by the WSJ, Russia has had anywhere from 10 to 15 ships present in the Mediterranean at any one time over the last three years as part of their operations in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad. Russian media recently reported that the country’s sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, would join the contingent of Russian ships in the Mediterranean this summer.