During 1994, was a unit of Carrier Group 8. During 1999, the previous Carrier Group 8's flagship was
Eisenhower. In May and June 1998,
Vella Gulf completed a two-month
BALTOPS Cruise, taking part in the 26th annual maritime exercise BALTOPS '98 in the Western
Baltic Sea from 8–19 June 1998. During the exercise, Commander, Carrier Group 8, commanded the exercise from the ship. From November 2001, at the commencement of Multinational Interception Force (MIF) operations in the
Persian Gulf,
Royal Australian Navy ships came under the control ('chopped to the OPCON') of Commander Carrier Group 8, Rear Admiral
Mark P. Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was also serving as Commander Task Force 50 (CTF 50) embarked in the carrier . The group was established by redesignation of the former Carrier Group 8 on 1 October 2004. The Strike Group deployed on 2 January 2010 to the Middle East to help with operations by the U.S.
5th and
6th Fleets. Effective 1 October 2012, when not deployed, Carrier Strike Group 8 is part of the
U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and its commander reports to Commander
Task Force 80, the director of Fleet Forces' Maritime Headquarters. Carrier Strike Group 8 is designated Task Group 80.3. On 6 October 2014,
U.S. Fleet Forces Command announced that the Carrier Strike Group 8 command staff would deploy with
Truman, instead of
Eisenhower, in accordance with the U.S. Navy's Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP). This change does not affect the other ships or units that are otherwise assigned to either strike groups. On 14 December 2024 the strike group entered the
U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, for the first time since March 2020, and took part in
Operation Prosperity Guardian in the
Red Sea. ==Past Commanders==