USS George H.W. Bush's (CVN 77) support for Operation Inherent Resolve in the U.S. 5th Fleet (area of operations) has been critical to the efforts to defeat ISIS, shipboard leaders said.

"The defeat and destruction of ISIS was our primary concern and our ship-air wing team performed superbly," said Capt. Will Pennington, Bush's commanding officer. "Moving that effort into the 5th Fleet AOO allowed us to not only continue that critical fight but to also demonstrate our commitment to our allies and partners in a critical region of the world."

The Bush and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 has conducted more than 4,700 sorties and used 813,000 pounds of ordnance in support of OIR, made two port calls and traveled more than 27,000 nautical miles. Aside from their OIR mission, the ship has provided for the safety and security of a volatile yet important region for trade and commerce.

According to Cmdr. Michael Puffer, Bush's navigator, these operations make a difference.

"Our presence in the region helps ensure freedom of navigation and provided a stabilizing effect in support of our partners," he said.

The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group continue to conduct sorties in support of OIR and U.S. national security interests.

For further questions, please contact U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs Office 011-973-1785-4562 or navcentpao@me.navy.mil

For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet, visit www.cusnc.navy.mil/.