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Technically, we can blame that little adventure NATO is having a bit further east. That one has the nominal 6th Fleet carrier group tied up east of Suez.
*You still have the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain and the in the Gulf of Aden.
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
*You still have the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain and the in the Gulf of Aden.
Yep. The one in the Gulf of Aden is the one that was reassigned in order for the CSG to support CTF-150/-151 operations - and CTF-150/-151 technically runs under NATO's Operation Enduring Freedom by mandate, with the original, official purpose of the pirate hunt down there being to deny weapons shipments to Al Quaeda.
The 5th Fleet in Bahrain is technically the one responsible for that region. Iraq and the anti-Iranian animosities in the Gulf draw it from that purpose though, so units from 6th Fleet (and NATO partners) had to be redeployed to the 5th Fleet AoR for the above.
France has since shifted their Rafales and Mirage 2000s from Solenzara/Corsica, the main French base used for attacks, to Sigonella/Sicily and Souda/Crete for better sortie rates. Mostly over the last 3 weeks. The Rafale presence at Sigonella will likely be further reinforced when the carrier departs.
30 - 40% of NATO's airstrikes in Libya are coming from the French Carrier Charles de Gaulle. CdG cannot continue this pace forever. In fact, she will have to break off the engagement sometime this fall.
Why?
Sorry bout the dumb question but can they not just re supply the thing?
Charles de Gaulle just pulled a continuous 10-month deployment, first on full strike operations on Afghanistan and a symmetric naval warfare exercise with India and then on Libya after switching out its air wing. There's a point where you just can't leave 'em at sea anymore.
10 months is actually a damn long time, and rather impressive. USN CVNs typically go on 6-month deployments, including arrival and departure occasionally up to 8 months.
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