According to information from military sources, the crew on the Gerald R. Ford ship has received notification of a change in deployment schedule.
Instead of returning to base, the ship will advance towards the Persian Gulf to join the operations group led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. The simultaneous concentration of two aircraft carrier operations groups shows Washington's significant military strengthening move in this region in the new geopolitical context.
The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford left Norfolk port, Virginia, from June 2025 to begin its mission. By October 2025, the ship was redirected to the Caribbean Sea.
During its stationing here, this warship directly participated in the attack on Venezuela on January 3, 2026. Before this latest deployment order, the ship's mission performance time was also extended once.
According to the previous plan, the sailors would complete their mission and return to base in early March 2026. However, with the urgent deployment order to the Middle East, the sea operation time of the crew will have to last at least until the end of April or early May 2026 before they can return home.
This prolonged continuous operating time not only affects the psychology of the crew but also causes technical challenges. According to the US press, this navigation will cause the ship to postpone the necessary periodic maintenance, which was scheduled to be carried out immediately after the ship docked in March.
This military shift reflects that the US is re-adjusting its strategic priorities. Washington is shifting its focus from monitoring Latin America to protecting key waterways and maintaining influence in the Middle East.
This is happening in the context that the US Navy forces are having to strain themselves to maintain a presence in many hotspots around the globe since the beginning of 2026.
