Multiple U.S. Defense officials speaking on background told The Debrief that sailors assigned to the Carl Vinson Carrier Group found out at the end of May they would be leaving for an unscheduled deployment within the next 11 days. Reportedly, the carrier group had been previously scheduled to deploy at the end of the summer.
Officials say the reason for the rapid deployment was large-scale movements by Russian naval forces seen heading towards the vicinity of Hawaii.
“Deployment cycles are typically very routine, highly coordinated, and scheduled well in advance,” said one current Navy official who was not cleared to speak on the record. “To pull ahead of a previously scheduled deployment for a classified mission set is extremely rare.”
So far, the Navy and Department of Defense have not acknowledged the Carl Vinson Carrier Group’s sudden quiet deployment. Instead, on June 17, U.S. Pacific Command released an article simply announcing the group was currently in the Hawaiian Islands Operating Area. Framing its sudden appearance as “integrated training operations with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.”
“Operating in Hawaii provides unique opportunities for Vinson to train jointly while positioned to respond if called,” Commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, said cryptically, while avoiding mention of there being any real-world element to the group’s activities. “They train to a variety of missions, from long-range strikes to anti-submarine warfare, and can move anywhere on the globe on short notice.”
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