Nearly four months after his deployment, he will return to the United States. The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Forddispatched to the Eastern Mediterranean after the Hamas attack on Israel in October, will return to the United States “in the coming days”, the American Navy announced this Monday, January 1.
Sent to “contribute to our regional positioning of deterrence and defense”, theUSS Gerald R. Ford “will redeploy to its original port as planned to prepare for future deployments,” said the Navy in a press release. “The Department of Defense is constantly evaluating force positioning around the world and will maintain significant capabilities both in the Mediterranean and across the Middle East,” she added.
The newest model of the US Navy
New generation aircraft carrier, theUSS Gerald Ford is a nuclear-powered ship weighing more than 100,000 tonnes, equipped with new technologies. Described by a US Navy spokesperson at American media CNN as the “world’s most adaptable and lethal combat platform”, this aircraft carrier was commissioned in 2017, and this mission in the Mediterranean was its first military deployment. It is the most recent model of the US Navy, notably equipped with several squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighters on board as well as nearly 4,000 crew members.
Despite the return ofUSS Gerald Ford, the American army is far from leaving the region. Another aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower, will remain in the Mediterranean to secure the region against attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. American helicopters operating from the Eisenhower also had the first deadly clashes with the Houthis this weekend, sinking three boats which had attacked a commercial container ship and firing on the American air fleet that came to its aid.
As detailed in the press release, the US Navy will also keep the amphibious assault ship in the Mediterranean USS Bataanwhich can transport F-35 stealth fighters, or even the landing ship USS Carter Hall.
An extended deployment three times.
L’USS Gerald Ford, for its part, was not intended to stay long term in the Mediterranean. As explained by the American agency Reuters, the Pentagon had extended the aircraft carrier’s deployment three times in the hope that its presence would deter Iran and Tehran-aligned groups, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah, from attacking Israel. It will now return to its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, from where it will remain ready for future operations.
The Navy also said it was working “with allies and partners to strengthen maritime security in the region.” The Department of Defense will continue to rely on its presence in the region “to deter any state or non-state actor from escalating this crisis beyond Gaza,” she said. Firstly, the “Guardian of Prosperity” operation against the Houthi rebels, notably composed of the United States and the United Kingdom and supported by France.