As part of the Carrier Battle Group (CVBG), and in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the ship set sail in support of defense and humanitarian efforts off the coast of New York. A week later, she deployed as part of the Carrier Battle Group, to the Mediterranean, and South-Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The "Theodore Roosevelt" Carrier Battle Group transited the Suez Canal on 13 October and arrived in the Arabian Sea on 15 October, before returning home in April 2002.