The US Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier is preparing to head to Europe for its second-ever major deployment, a US official told Business Insider on Wednesday.
USS Gerald R. Ford and ships in its strike group are set to leave their homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, in Virginia, next week on a regularly scheduled deployment that will have them operating in the European Command theater initially, the official said.
The deployment gives the Trump administration an option to tap a third aircraft carrier nearby for operations countering Iran and defending Israel.
Ford completed a series of intensive training exercises several weeks ago. These drills and their realistic battle problems serve as a final pre-deployment assessment for Navy strike groups and amphibious ready groups.
Ford was commissioned in July 2017 as the lead ship of its class. The $13 billion supercarrier left for Europe in May 2023 on its first major deployment, which was extended by nearly 80 days following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
The vessel primarily operated in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Israel, acting in a show of support to the country and as a deterrent against Iran and its regional allies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Unlike other carriers, the Ford did not sail to the waters off Yemen to counter attacks on international shipping by the Iran-backed Houthi militant group. The carrier returned to Norfolk in January 2024.
The first-in-class Ford experienced years of delays in getting new technology working, such as its elevators, which move weapons to the flight deck, and its electromagnetic catapults, which get aircraft airborne. Top Navy officials said its first deployment to the European theater “validated” the state-of-the-art carrier’s ability to operate for long periods at sea.
Ford’s deployment next week comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East after Israel launched days of strikes inside Iran aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear program, a major escalation that threatens to plunge the region into more conflict.
Since Friday, Israeli aircraft have launched scores of airstrikes across Iran, targeting the country’s nuclear facilities, top scientists, senior commanders, missile launchers, air defenses, bases, and other high-profile military assets.
Iran has retaliated by launching around 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel.
Navy destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean and American ground forces in the Middle East have helped defend Israel from the Iranian missiles, a US official told BI earlier this week. The Pentagon has also moved additional warships into the region, and more could soon be on their way, including Rota, Spain-based destroyers armed with ballistic missile defense systems.
Meanwhile, the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Middle East and will eventually be replaced by the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group.
There are no indications that the Ford is going directly to the Eastern Mediterranean or into the Middle East. However, this would not be unusual; US aircraft carriers have long been used to signal American military power and deterrence in the face of heightened tensions.
Ford’s embarked aviation wing is capable of shooting down hostile drones, and the warships in its strike group can launch missiles in a defensive or offensive capacity.
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