After upgrades and testing, the USS Gerald R Ford deploys again, signaling growing US naval presence and potential escalation planning in the Middle East.
The United States Navy’s newest and most capable nuclear-powered supercarrier could soon return to the Middle East.
In 2023, USS Gerald R Ford saw her first deployment to Europe extended after the warship was rushed to the eastern Mediterranean to deter escalation following the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel. The warship, the lead vessel of the Ford-class of carriers set to replace the Nimitz-class on a one-for-one basis over the coming decades, returned to Naval Station Norfolk in January 2024 following an eight-month deployment.
Following the 262-day deployment, USS Gerald R Ford began a post-deployment maintenance availability, which included pierside cyber survivability testing and an operational test event. Additionally, the USS Gerald R Ford commenced its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT and E), which included Sortie Generation Rate (SGR), Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS), and Total Ship’s Survivability Trial (TSST) testing.
According to the US Navy, the tests were conducted to evaluate the carrier’s effectiveness and survivability and will continue through fiscal year 2027 (FY27). The tests will help the service address challenges with its flight operations. Critical systems, including the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), Dual Band Radar (DBR), and weapons elevators, are undergoing evaluation to ensure the reliability challenges are resolved.
The USS Gerald R Ford Has a Change of Command
Last month, before her deployment, a “change of command” ceremony was held aboard the carrier. “Capt. David Skarosi relieved Capt. Rick Burgess assumed duties as the commanding officer of Gerald R Ford,” the Navy announced.
Skarosi is the USS Gerald R Ford’s third commanding officer, while this is the first aircraft carrier he has commanded. He most recently served as the commanding officer of the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) and previously as the commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139 and executive officer of PCU John F. Kennedy.
Only the Pentagon Knows Where the USS Gerald R Ford Is Going
USS Gerald R Ford is scheduled to depart on Tuesday and will deploy to the US European Command, with Carrier Air Wing 8 embarked on the flattop.
Interestingly, Carrier Air Wing 8 will be composed of Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets rather than Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II squadrons. Those will include Naval Air Station Oceana’s Strike Fighter Squadron 31 (VFA-31), the “Tomcatters“; VFA-37, the “Ragin Bulls“; VFA-87, the “Golden Warriors“; and VFA-213, the “Black Lions.”
In addition, the Carrier Air Wing 8 includes Electronic Attack Squadron 142 (VQA-142), the “Gray Wolves,” which operates the EA-18G Growler, from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington.
The Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia-based E-2D “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124 (VAW-124), C-2A “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Squadron 40 (VRC-40), MH-60R “Spartans of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70 (HSM-70), and MH-60S “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 9 (HSC-9) were also embarked with the Carrier Air Wing 8.
The carrier strike group (CSG) will include the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S Churchill, USS Mitscher, USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge, and USS Forrest Sherman. As no guided-missile cruiser is in the CSG, the USS Winston S Churchill will reportedly serve as the air defense commander.
The Pentagon has not disclosed the USS Gerland R Ford’s ultimate destination. Yet, the last East Coast-based CSG, the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, operated for several months in the Red Sea and participated in Operation Rough Rider, the US-led bombing campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
The USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Arabian Sea in April and operates in the region. USS Nimitz was dispatched to the Middle East earlier this month after canceling a planned port visit to Vietnam.
The potential presence of three US Navy nuclear-powered supercarriers in the region simultaneously isn’t unprecedented. Still, it suggests that Washington is either trying to send a powerful message or is planning something huge.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins.
