US Sends Third Aircraft Carrier Towards Mideast as Iran Tensions Rise

The U.S. Navy is preparing to deploy the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Mediterranean, placing a third carrier strike group in reach of the Mideast. USS Carl Vinson is already on station in the Arabian Sea, and USS Nimitz is currently under way westbound from the Strait of Malacca.

Each carrier strike group typically brings with it one attack submarine, one cruiser and two or more destroyers, in addition to an air wing of F/A-18 Super Hornets and (on some carriers) F-35 Lightning strike fighters. The overall package delivers a powerful land-attack punch, but also enhances regional air defense with a combination of anti-aircraft, anti-drone and anti-ballistic-missile capabilities.

Two destroyers operating in Central Command have already been involved in defeating Iranian ballistic missile attacks on Israel over the past week, a Navy official told Norfolk's WAVY. USS The Sullivans and USS Arleigh Burke both expended interceptors over the weekend to shoot down Iranian attacks, the official confirmed.

USS Ford is currently at Norfolk, and has been in a refit and training cycle since her last deployment ended in January 2024. She finished a series of work-up exercises several weeks ago. Her upcoming deployment to the Mediterranean is "regularly scheduled," according to the Navy.

The futuristic and innovative USS Ford suffered from years of technical issues during construction and commissioning, but it has turned into a mature fighting platform with high marks for performance, according to the Ford-class program office. The vessel is not fitted to carry the F-35, but this upgrade is planned.