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13 Feb 2026, 03:54

Replying to message #70492

The aircraft carrier "USS Gerald R. Ford" is being deployed to the Persian Gulf

The New York Times, citing four American officials, reported that the aircraft carrier "USS Gerald R. Ford" and its accompanying escort ships will be sent to the Middle East and are not expected to return to their home ports until mid or late May.

According to this media outlet, the crew of the Ford was informed of this deployment on Thursday, February 11.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, recently announced that he would send another ship to the region as part of increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic.

The Ford left its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 24. It was initially scheduled for a deployment in Europe but changed course to the Caribbean as part of maximum pressure on Caracas and remained in Venezuelan waters.

Fighter jets stationed on the Ford participated in the January 3 attack on the capital of Venezuela and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the former president of the country.

According to the New York Times, sailors on the Ford expected to return home in about two weeks, but the new mission delays the previously scheduled return of the ship to the Virginia coast and the completion of essential upgrades and major repairs.

Donald Trump, just hours before this news was published in the New York Times, shared a Wall Street Journal report about the Pentagon's readiness to deploy a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East on his social media platform, Truth Social reposted.

Previously, the Wall Street Journal reported that as the U.S. military prepares for a possible attack on the Islamic Republic, the Pentagon has ordered a second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to be ready for deployment to the Middle East.
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The Associated Press has reported that the largest aircraft carrier in the United States, "USS Gerald R. Ford," has moved from the Caribbean Sea towards the Middle East.
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