Could the Houthis Really Sink a U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier?

Summary and Key Points: Houthi rebels recently claimed to have targeted the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, raising concerns about the vulnerability of America's most expensive war machines.

-While there is no evidence supporting the Houthi claims, the idea of a billion-dollar carrier being at risk from unsophisticated adversaries is alarming. The USS Eisenhower, part of the Nimitz-class costing around $6-7 billion per ship, has been deeply engaged in protecting commercial shipping from Houthi missile and drone attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

-Despite the aircraft carrier's formidable defenses and advanced technology, the persistence of Houthi harassment has sparked debates about the vulnerability of such vessels in modern combat environments, especially when facing unconventional threats from non-state actors like the Houthis.

Could the Houthis Really Target, Hit, and Sink A Navy Aircraft Carrier? 

Houthi rebels have claimed that they tried to sink an American aircraft carrier. In June, they made such a claim again, although there was no evidence to back it. The claims do bring up the question of whether America’s most expensive war machine, in a new combat environment marked by deadlier anti-ship weapons systems, might be vulnerable to an unsophisticated adversary using unsophisticated technology.

“The Houthi attack comes after the sinking this week of the ship Tutor, which marked what appears to be a new escalation by the Iranian-backed Houthis in their campaign of strikes on ships in the vital maritime corridor,” NBC reported.

Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier targeted, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, has been ordered home after multiple extensions.  

The Houthis have launched more than 60 attacks against shipping in the Gulf of Aden. Using missiles and drones, they have killed four sailors, seized one vessel, and sunk two. But could a U.S. aircraft carrier be vulnerable to Houthi rebels?

Vulnerable at Sea

Aircraft carriers are uniquely expensive. The new Ford-class carriers cost $13 billion per vessel, while the Nimitz class, to which Eisenhower belongs, costs closer to $6 billion-$7 billion per ship. 

The sheer quantity of resources invested into one aircraft carrier make the vessel a tantalizing target – and a piece of equipment the Navy must defend at all costs. 

Not only is each aircraft carrier itself expensive, but it is loaded with more than 100 aircraft – most of which cost tens of millions of dollars apiece. Then of course you have the crew – thousands of them. Each aircraft carrier is valuable for the crew alone, as a military resource and simply as human beings. So the idea that an aircraft carrier could be sunk – along with the aircraft and crew, and the vessel’s nuclear reactor – is an unacceptable premise. That an aircraft carrier could be vulnerable to a fighting force as humble as the Houthi rebels would be deeply concerning indeed.

The aircraft carrier is a tool of great power politics. It is a floating city capable of delivering airpower around the world. The Americans built their aircraft carrier with world powers like Russia and China in mind. Houthi rebels, not so much. Yet, the Houthis seem bent on harassing the Eisenhower.

Eisenhower has been immersed in the “fight to protect commercial shipping from persistent missile and drone attacks” by the Houthis, the AP reported. Eisenhower has been fully engaged for nine months, in what is being called “the most intense running sea battle since World War II.”

U.S. war planners want to keep an aircraft carrier in the Middle East, arguing that such a vessel is needed as a deterrent against Iran, and as a weapon in the fight against the Houthis. F/A-18 Hornets from Eisenhower have proven effective at taking out Houthi missiles and drones. Houthi missiles and drones do not likely pose an existential threat to Eisenhower, but the seed of doubt has been planted. 

About the Author: Harrison Kass 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

Image Credit: Creative Commons.