USS Truman Launches Record-Breaking Airstrike in Somalia, Shifts Focus to NATO Exercise

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group executed what officials are calling the “largest airstrike in the history of the world” launched from an aircraft carrier, dropping 125,000 pounds of munitions in recent operations over Somalia, according to Adm. James Kilby, the Navy’s acting chief of operations.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, Kilby said the massive strike was part of a broader campaign by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to degrade the growing ISIS presence in Somalia, which has tripled in size over the past 18 months. AFRICOM has already launched 25 airstrikes this year, with projections that 2025 may surpass the previous record of 63 strikes in 2019.

The Truman strike group also played a major role in the Red Sea, deterring Iran-backed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping. Over a five-month period, the group conducted 670 strikes and intercepted roughly 160 drones and missiles, the Navy said. U.S. forces have hit more than 1,000 Houthi targets since mid-March.

Following President Donald Trump’s May 6 announcement of a ceasefire with the Houthis, the Truman, along with the USS Jason Dunham and USS Gettysburg, has redeployed to the Mediterranean Sea for NATO exercises. The Navy has not yet disclosed when the strike group will return to Norfolk, Virginia.

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