"What we've been seeing over the past year is the Navy using Amphibious Readiness Groups (ARGs) with [amphibious assault ships] in the Middle East in place of Carrier Strike Groups," Clark explained.
The Navy has then been able to focus its supercarriers on the Atlantic and the Pacific, where great powers like Russia and China are creating new challenges for the US military.
Last fall, the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship, sailed into the Persian Gulf, and it was during that deployment that a Marine Corps F-35B launched from the ship entered combat for the first time, targeting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.
Read More: The US F-35 has entered combat for the first time, conducting its first airstrike against the Taliban in Afghanistan
The USS Harry S. Truman, initially slated for service in the Persian Gulf, relocated to the North Atlantic for participation in NATO exercises.