Washington. December 29. INTERFAX - An American carrier strike group led by the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman is being delayed in the Mediterranean by order of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, previous plans for its relocation have been changed, the USNI News publication reported, covering the activities of the US Navy (Navy).
The publication notes that a representative of the US Department of Defense confirmed that the group will remain in the Ionian Sea between Greece and Italy for the time being, instead of moving through the Suez Canal to the area of operation of the US Central Command in the Middle East.
USNI News also quotes one of the officials who explained that "the schedule change approved by Austin is designed to assure European allies of the US commitment to regional security."
The representative of the European Command, Bill Space, confirmed to the publication that the aircraft carrier group continues to operate in the US Sixth Fleet command zone, which includes the Mediterranean and Black Seas. He did not comment on the group's future operations, referring to the fact that they "are dynamic in nature and are conditioned by our operational security policy."
