The U.S. Department of Defense shared a video of a Navy fighter jet taking off on the USS Carl Vinson, the 45-year-old U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The agency captioned the video with all caps: “STILL HERE. STILL CRUSHING THE ENEMY. The @CVN70 remains positioned to counter threats from Iran-backed Houthi forces.”
STILL HERE. STILL CRUSHING THE ENEMY.
The @CVN70 remains positioned to counter threats from Iran-backed Houthi forces. pic.twitter.com/mkWlOqoiDg
— Department of Defense
(@DeptofDefense) April 23, 2025
[Note: The aircraft carrier is named after the late Congressman Carl Vinson (D-GA), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 50 years. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, he oversaw the expansion of the U.S. Navy and as Committee chair, he authorized the procurement of the first nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, starting with USS Enterprise in the late 1950s.]
US Central Command (CENTCOM) also shared photos and video of warheads being affixed to the fighter jets leaving the USS Carl Vinson with the caption: “Continuous 24/7 operations against Iran-backed Houthis from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)” with the hashtag #HouthisAreTerrorists.
Continuous 24/7 operations against Iran-backed Houthis from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)#HouthisAreTerrorists pic.twitter.com/lh5DpvdCOR
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 23, 2025
Not all MAGA supporters are impressed with the Pentagon’s brag about being ready “to counter threats from Iran-backed Houthi forces.”
As one replied: “No war with Iran.” Another complained: “Haven’t we wiped them out yet?” And another criticized the DoD: “If you are ‘crushing’ them then why haven’t they stopped and why are Israeli bound ships still being stopped and predator drones still being shot down.”
Yemeni journalist Ahmad Algohbary replied to the CENTCOM images: “What have you achieved besides killing Yemeni civilians and destroying infrastructure? Your impact is barely 1%.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, operating under increased scrutiny after sharing details of the military’s Houthi attack plans on the public messaging app Signal, has responded to criticism by touting the effectiveness of the U.S. military’s strikes against the group in Yemen, portraying the campaign as an unmitigated success.
Asked about the Signal controversy earlier this week, President Trump supported Hegseth with the same messaging, saying that those questioning Hegseth’s leadership should ask the Houthis if the American military looks strong to them.
.@POTUS on @SecDef: “He is doing a great job … Ask the Houthis how he’s doing.” pic.twitter.com/O0vp2sX69x
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 21, 2025