USS Stennis is first US carrier in Persian Gulf after long absence — just in time for Christmas
By JOSHUA KARSTEN | STARS AND STRIPES Published: December 22, 2018
The USS John C. Stennis will spend Christmas in the Persian Gulf after the carrier strike group sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, arriving during a time of increased threats from Iran and ending an eight-month carrier absence in the region.
The long absence of a U.S. carrier in the Gulf broke the regular flow of carriers to the region since 9/11 and could be the new norm under outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' dynamic force employment policy, meant to show more unpredictability to U.S. adversaries.
https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/uss-stennis-is-first-us-carrier-in-persian-gulf-after-long-absence-just-in-time-for-christmas-1.561718
