USS Gerald R. Ford to Deploy To Middle East Amid Pressure On Iran

By Staff, Agencies

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its escort ships, previously deployed in the Caribbean, are set to be redirected to the Middle East and are not expected to return to their home ports until late April or early May, according to US officials cited by The New York Times.

The carrier’s crew was informed of the decision on Thursday, with four US officials speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the deployment.

Under the new orders, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group will join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Gulf, as part of US President Donald Trump’s renewed pressure campaign against Iran.

The Ford’s deployment began on June 24 when it departed Norfolk, Virginia, initially for what was described as a European cruise.

The mission was later redirected to the Caribbean as part of Washington’s broader regional pressure strategy.

The strike group’s current mission has already been extended once, and sailors had been expecting to return home earlier in the year.

The latest decision further prolongs the deployment as Washington increases its military presence in the region.