During 1994, USS Hue City (CG-66) was a unit of Carrier Group 8.[6]
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 USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).
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.[7]
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).[8] This change does not affect the other ships or units that are otherwise assigned to either strike groups.[8]
On 24 January 2022 it was announced that the strike group had been placed under NATO command for planned exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. This was the first time a full US carrier strike group had been placed under NATO command since the Cold War.[9]
^ abMass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shannon M. Smith (14 June 2013). "CCSG 8 Changes Command". Eisenhower Strike Group Public Affairs. Retrieved 2 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"Rear Admiral Victorino Mercado". Command Info: Commander Carrier Strike Group Eight. Carrier Strike Group Eight. 2014. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
^ abMass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Lindsay A. Preston (22 July 2016). "Carrier Strike Group 8 Changes Command". USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) Public Affairs. Retrieved 2 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ abMass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Flynn (6 September 2017). "Carrier Strike Group 8 Changes Command". Carrier Strike Group 8 Public Affairs. Retrieved 2 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)