The Navy is sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group from the Caribbean to the Middle East, extending a deployment that has already stretched well beyond its original schedule.
Four U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision publicly, said the crew was informed Thursday that the carrier will head toward the Persian Gulf. The strike group is now not expected to return to its homeport in Norfolk until late April or early May.
The move positions Ford alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group as part of President Donald Trump’s renewed pressure campaign on Iran. Earlier this week, Trump indicated he wanted a second carrier in the region but did not publicly identify the vessel.
From Europe to the Caribbean — and Now Back to CENTCOM
Ford left Norfolk on June 24 on what was initially billed as a routine European deployment. That plan changed when the carrier was redirected to the Caribbean as part of operations tied to Venezuela.
Aircraft from Ford participated in the Jan. 3 strike on Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to U.S. officials familiar with the operation. The deployment has already been extended once. Sailors had been expecting to return home in early March.
Instead, they are headed back toward U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.
Two Carriers in the Gulf
With Ford joining Lincoln in the region, the Navy will field two carrier strike groups in or near the Persian Gulf — a visible show of force aimed at deterring Iran amid ongoing tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and regional activities.
A carrier strike group typically includes guided-missile destroyers and cruisers, logistics ships, and an embarked air wing composed primarily of F/A-18 strike fighters, electronic warfare aircraft, airborne early warning platforms, and helicopters. The presence of two such formations provides sustained airpower without reliance on regional basing.
Maintenance and Readiness Concerns
The extended deployment carries consequences beyond operational signaling.
Ford is scheduled for a dry dock period in Virginia for upgrades and repairs. Further delays could complicate maintenance timelines and ripple through the Navy’s already tight carrier availability schedule.
Long deployments also strain crews and families. While the Navy routinely adjusts schedules to meet operational demands, back-to-back extensions can affect morale and readiness across the force.
For now, the Navy has not publicly detailed how long Ford will remain in the Middle East once it arrives.
What is clear: a deployment that began as a European cruise has turned into a multi-theater mission spanning Europe, the Caribbean, and now the Persian Gulf — and it isn’t over yet.