US Adds to Israel Force, Sends Command and Control Ship to Eastern Mediterranean

The U.S.S. Mount Whitney, a command and control vessel, is heading towards the eastern Mediterranean Sea to support U.S. operations in the region, in the wake of Hamas’ deadly attack against Israel more than a week ago. 

The U.S. Sixth Fleet announced Wednesday that the Mount Whitney left its homeport in Gaeta, Italy, more than 1300 miles from the crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip. 

It’s not clear what the ship’s role will be, but the ship carries a crew of more than 300 and a U.S. Navy fact sheet says the “U.S.S. Mount Whitney…can transport supplies to support an emergency evacuation of 3,000 people.”

The U.S. Navy also says the Mount Whitney is its most advanced ship for controlling and coordinating military operations, thanks in part to a highly sophisticated system of sending and receiving large amounts of classified information. 

The ship adds to a considerable show of U.S. force in the Eastern Mediterranean that officials have said is aimed primarily at deterring Iran or its proxies in Lebanon from entering the war.

On Monday, The Messenger reported that the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is part of the three-vessel Bataan Amphibious-Ready Group, had been rerouted to the Mediterranean Sea. More than 2,000 members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are spread across the three ships. Marine Expeditionary Units have historically carried out evacuation operations and humanitarian aid missions. 

The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford was the first naval asset ordered to the coast of Israel after the Hamas attacks. The Ford is accompanied by a flotilla of guided-missile cruisers and destroyers. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a deployment extension for the Ford which will keep the carrier strike group in the region. The Pentagon did not say how long the extension would be. 

And this past weekend, Austin directed a second carrier group—the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group—to join the Ford in the Mediterranean. An additional 2,000 American service members stationed in the Middle East and Europe could be deployed to support Israel as well. 

Asked about specific ways the array of forces might be used, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said “the United States would be in a position to rapidly deploy additional air defense, security logistics, medical, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and transportation, and additional capabilities into the theater.” 

But Singh added that “no decisions have been made to deploy any of these forces at this time. This order only puts these forces, these units, on higher alert. The Secretary will continue to assess our force posture and remain in close contact with allies and partners.”