NewsNation visited the USS Eisenhower, whose crews are fighting against Houthi attacks

(NewsNation) — Eight months ago, it would have been difficult for the average American to say exactly who the Houthis are in Yemen.

Since the end of last year, the Houthis have hijacked one ship. They have sunk one ship. They have also killed three sailors in the region.

“They are a legitimate terrorist organization and they carry out attacks here almost every day,” said Captain Chris Hill, commander of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

NewsNation was invited aboard the flagship of the U.S. 5th Fleet’s Carrier Strike Group 2. The USS Eisenhower recently conducted a series of strikes against the Houthis alongside the United Kingdom. Its deployment to the region has been extended as the Houthis have renewed their commitment to launch strikes in the region.

No aircraft carrier has been as busy in the past five years as the Eisenhower, which deployed for over 550 days. The ship was deployed again in October and reached the Red Sea for the first time in November.

“This is unprecedented,” said Rear Admiral Marc Miguez. “The Houthis have decided to attack maritime shipping.”

Over 10% of trade is carried out via the Red Sea, and about 30% of global container traffic.

The Houthis have decided to attack US warships as well.

“We were the first ship to be attacked by ship-launched ballistic missiles,” said Commander Eric Blomberg, commanding officer of the USS Laboon. “We are the first ship to launch a ship-launched ballistic missile in combat and in history.”

Many decisions have to be made: how and where to intercept and what tools to use. In some cases, all of these decisions have to be made in a matter of seconds.

“We have extensive capabilities, both for defense and self-defense,” Miguez said.

Naval aviators played a key role in the US fight against the Houthis.

“I tried to focus mostly on the mission itself,” said Lt. Jay Hirl, originally from Raleigh, North Carolina. “We went in there in the pitch black at about 2 a.m. and knew we were the tip of the spear on the case.”

Although there are almost 5,000 people on board the ship, Miguez still sleeps peacefully.

“I’ll tell you this,” he said. “I’ll make sure the Houthis can’t sleep at night.”