The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group launched more than 6,000 sorties and logged 1,850 flight hours over a 296‑day deployment, transiting more than 130,000 combined nautical miles before returning to Norfolk.
Iwo Jima ARG finishes historic 296‑day deployment to U.S. Fourth Fleet
Wasp‑class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) returned to Naval Station Norfolk on June 6, concluding a nearly 10‑month deployment to the U.S. Southern Command‑Fourth Fleet area of responsibility. During the 296‑day deployment the ARG launched over 6,000 sorties, flew 1,850 flight hours, and transited more than 130,000 combined nautical miles, according to U.S. 2nd Fleet reporting.
The ARG was the first group of expeditionary naval assets deployed to support Operation Southern Spear, and the source material states it "played a key role in Operation Absolute Resolve to exfiltrate ex‑President Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela." The deployment’s operational tempo and long duration were emphasized in the public announcement accompanying the ship’s return.
USS Nimitz departs Kingston en route to the United States after Southern Seas goodwill tour
Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz departed Kingston, Jamaica, at 12:00 p.m. on June 5 and is en route to the United States after completing its 2026 Southern Seas goodwill tour, the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica reported. The carrier had made a four‑day port call in Kingston; throughout the visit it embarked officials from the Dominican Republic for a distinguished visitor tour.
Two ships supporting Nimitz — destroyer USS Gridley and oiler USNS Patuxent — also got underway after a brief stop in Ponce, Puerto Rico. During the weekend Gridley fired the Mk 45 Mod 4 5‑inch gun during a live fire demonstration, an event noted in the deployment coverage.
Dual‑carrier force continues blockade enforcement in the Middle East; CENTCOM reports vessel interdictions
The U.S. is maintaining dual‑carrier coverage in the Middle East to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. USS Abraham Lincoln conducted a replenishment‑at‑sea with USNS Arctic in the Arabian Sea on June 3, while USS George H.W. Bush is operating at an undisclosed location in the area of responsibility.
U.S. Central Command has publicly reported redirecting and disabling commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade. A CENTCOM press release cited in the reporting said forces have redirected 134 commercial vessels and disabled seven ships; a CENTCOM tweet dated June 7 gave figures of 132 commercial vessels redirected and six ships disabled as of that date. Visual reporting from the deployments included imagery of USS Michael Murphy observing merchant traffic while enforcing the blockade in the Arabian Sea.
George Washington Carrier Strike Group conducting operations in the Philippine Sea; CVW‑5 completes qualifications
The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in the U.S. Indo‑Pacific Command‑Seventh Fleet area of responsibility. On June 8 Washington was photographed alongside oiler USNS Earl Warren during a fueling‑at‑sea evolution in the Philippine Sea. During the last week of May the carrier embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 and completed carrier qualifications; the published material notes CVW‑5 includes a squadron of F‑35C fighter aircraft.
What this means for the U.S. Fourth Fleet, regional partners, and commercial shipping
- U.S. Fourth Fleet and expeditionary naval planners: the Iwo Jima ARG’s prolonged deployment and high sortie rate demonstrate a sustained amphibious and aviation capability available to Fourth Fleet operations, including named operations Southern Spear and Absolute Resolve.
- Regional diplomatic partners in the Caribbean: the Nimitz Southern Seas goodwill tour included port calls and distinguished‑visitor engagements, with the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica framing the visit as strengthening bilateral partnership and enhancing ties through visits that included officials from the Dominican Republic.
- Commercial shipping and merchant mariners in CENTCOM waters: CENTCOM’s public tallies — in one release 134 vessels redirected and seven ships disabled, and in a June 7 tweet 132 redirected and six disabled — reflect active interdiction and redirection measures being applied to commercial traffic in enforcement of the blockade.
The U.S. Navy’s global disposition this week shows carriers, amphibious groups and logistics ships operating across the Caribbean, Arabian Sea and the Philippine Sea — each movement tied to a named mission set, from goodwill engagements to blockade enforcement and carrier qualification cycles. Nimitz’s transit home, Iwo Jima’s return to Norfolk, continued CENTCOM interdictions and Washington’s underway replenishment are concrete checkpoints: they close one chapter of operations and signal the next phase of repositioning and follow‑on tasking for the fleets involved.
Original reporting: https://www.twz.com/sea/iwo-jima-completes-deployment-nimitz-heading-back-to-the-united-states
