The Ike strikes back with ‘Attack of the Drones’ patch

Continue, the drone wars do. 

For the past several months, the U.S. Navy has been busy in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, shooting down one-way attack drones and missiles fired by the Houthi movement at ships in the waters around Yemen. The carrier the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, its strike group, and the contingent of F/A-18 fighter jets have taken out several drones and took part in large-scale air strikes on parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthis. And so the ship is honoring its fight with a new deployment patch that’s both nerdy and a good pun.

Sailors on the Ike are sporting new patches that read “Red Sea Attack of the Drones War.” They’re perfectly done in the font used for “Star Wars,” and makes a good riff on “Attack of the Clones.” The crew can likely thank Capt. Christopher “Chowdaw” Hill for it. The Ike’s commander is already a pretty public “Star Wars” fan. According to Hill in a post on X, the patches are made off ship and bought in bulk by sailors. 

Even Navy leadership is getting into the Star Wars fun. Both Hill and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti posted a photo of her in a flight suit sporting the “Attack of the Drones” patch. 

When not posting about his dog on the ship, Hill often posts images of the titular character from “The Mandalorian” to social media and likes to throw in the Mandalorian motto of “this is the way.” He also hands out a “Warrior Sailor pin” to members of his crew, with the pin of course bearing the helmet of the Mandalorian Din Djarin. And don’t worry, he also made sure to post a May the 4th message. 

The Ike deployed to the waters around Yemen in the fall as the U.S. Navy stepped up its presence there after the Israel-Gaza war began in October. The Houthis, which control much of Yemen following a prolonged civil war, started attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea in a way to block trade with Israel. Despite months of shootdowns and bombings of Yemen, Houthis continue to fire missiles and drones; the group has said it will continue until the war ends. On Thursday, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testified before Congress saying that U.S. attacks on Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen have only partially affected the group’s ability to carry out launches. 

Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower left the Red Sea late last month, moving into the Mediterranean Sea to support the efforts to build a pier off the coast of Gaza for delivering humanitarian aid. That construction has been delayed by bad weather. 

Now there are only two questions for Capt. Hill. One: What does he think it will take to end Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden? And two: Does he prefer hand-drawn Genndy Tartakovsky “Clone Wars” series or the CGI Dave Filoni one?

The latest on Task & Purpose

• Army captain gives up his rank to enlist in the Marine Corps
• Army fires commander of Germany-based air defense unit
• Navy offers some sailors $100,000 to reenlist
• Army general bans most work texts after duty day
• Air National Guard officer and state senator arrested for burglary