Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is set to transition from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East as part of a significant U.S. naval buildup in response to regional tensions. This deployment comes amid ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations and protests in Iran, where the government has faced criticism for its violent suppression of dissent.
A U.S. official confirmed that the Ford and its embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 will join the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group in the region. The New York Times reported that the Ford could remain deployed until at least May 2025, extending its mission considerably beyond the original timeline.
Deployment History and Current Context
The Ford was originally deployed in June 2025 but was retasked in October, moving from the Mediterranean to operate under the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). It has been active in the Caribbean since mid-November 2025. Notably, in January, the carrier supported a U.S. operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The shift to Middle Eastern operations reflects a broader trend in U.S. naval deployments. Carrier strike groups (CSGs) have routinely experienced extensions beyond the Navy’s planned seven-month deployment cycle due to increased operational demands and persistent maintenance delays. Since December 2021, CSGs have averaged nearly nine-month deployments, driven by the need to respond to global threats.
The strategic focus of U.S. naval operations has increasingly shifted towards the Middle East following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Southern Israel and escalating Houthi aggression in the Red Sea.
Breaking Records and Future Deployments
If the Ford Carrier Strike Group remains deployed after April 15, 2025, it will surpass the 294-day post-Vietnam War record for carrier deployments set by the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2020. Should the deployment extend into early May, it could rival the historic extended deployments of U.S. carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin, which exceeded 300 days.
The United States Naval Institute (USNI) tracks carrier deployment data, excluding training exercises and certification cruises, focusing solely on operational taskings. As the Navy seeks to optimize its carrier capabilities, the upcoming deployments include the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) from Norfolk, Virginia, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) from San Diego, California.
The Bush has recently begun its final graduation exercise, a critical step towards certification for national tasking, though the Navy has previously expedited this process when necessary.
As the USS Gerald R. Ford embarks on this pivotal mission, the U.S. Navy continues to navigate the complexities of global security demands while managing the readiness of its fleet.
