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USS Gerald R. Ford Exits Middle East
(MENAFN) The USS Gerald R. Ford has departed the Middle East following its participation in combat operations against Iran, leaving the United States with two aircraft carriers still positioned in the strategically critical region, local media reported Friday, citing a U.S. official.
The departure of the Ford means the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS George H.W. Bush now constitute the remaining American carrier presence in the region — a significant naval footprint at a time when the Middle East ceasefire, which took effect April 8, remains fragile and closely watched.
The Ford's exit caps a deployment of historic length. The carrier had been continuously at sea for more than 10 months, surpassing the post-Vietnam War record for the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment — a marker of both the intensity and the duration of American military commitment to the region throughout the recent conflict.
The voyage was not without incident. On March 12, the U.S. Navy confirmed that two sailors sustained injuries when a fire erupted in the main laundry spaces aboard the vessel, adding a further note of operational strain to an already gruelling mission.
The Ford's return comes as the U.S. military begins recalibrating its regional posture in the wake of the Iran ceasefire, with the Pentagon separately announcing plans this week to withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from Germany — moves that together signal a broader reassessment of American force deployments across multiple theatres.
The departure of the Ford means the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS George H.W. Bush now constitute the remaining American carrier presence in the region — a significant naval footprint at a time when the Middle East ceasefire, which took effect April 8, remains fragile and closely watched.
The Ford's exit caps a deployment of historic length. The carrier had been continuously at sea for more than 10 months, surpassing the post-Vietnam War record for the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment — a marker of both the intensity and the duration of American military commitment to the region throughout the recent conflict.
The voyage was not without incident. On March 12, the U.S. Navy confirmed that two sailors sustained injuries when a fire erupted in the main laundry spaces aboard the vessel, adding a further note of operational strain to an already gruelling mission.
The Ford's return comes as the U.S. military begins recalibrating its regional posture in the wake of the Iran ceasefire, with the Pentagon separately announcing plans this week to withdraw approximately 5,000 troops from Germany — moves that together signal a broader reassessment of American force deployments across multiple theatres.
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