(NewsNation) — Eight months ago, the average American would have had a difficult time telling you exactly who the Houthis in Yemen are.
Since late last year, the Houthis have captured a ship. They have sunk a ship. They’ve also killed three sailors in the region.
“They are a legitimate terrorist organization, and they conduct attacks almost daily out here,” said Capt. Chris Hill, commanding officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
NewsNation was invited aboard the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 2 in the U.S. 5th Fleet. The USS Eisenhower, along with the United Kingdom, recently carried out a series of strikes against the Houthis. Its service in the region has been extended due to the Houthis reupping their commitment to launching attacks in the region.
No aircraft carrier has been busier in the last five years than the Eisenhower, which spent over 550 days in deployment. The ship was deployed once again in October and first arrived in the Red Sea in November.
“This is unprecedented,” said Rear Adm. Marc Miguez. “The Houthis have decided to attack maritime shipping.”
Over 10% of trade goes through the Red Sea, about 30% of the globe’s container traffic.
The Houthis have decided to attack U.S. warships as well.
“We were the first ship to be targeted by ship ballistic missiles,” said Cmdr. Eric Blomberg, commanding officer of the USS Laboon. “We’re the first ship to shoot down a ship ballistic missile in combat and history.”
There are many decisions that need to be made: how to intercept, where to intercept and what tools to use. In some cases, all of those decisions have to be made in seconds.
“We’ve got some extensive capabilities, both defensive and self-defense,” Miguez said.
Naval aviators have played a key role in the United States’ efforts against the Houthis.
“I tried to pretty much just think about the mission itself,” said Lt. Jay Hirl, originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. “Launching into the pitch black and at like 2 a.m., going in there knowing that we’re the tip of the spear in the case.”
With nearly 5,000 people aboard the ship, Miguez says he sleeps soundly regardless.
“I’ll tell you this,” he said. “I keep the Houthis up at night.”