Between pressure on Iran and the strain on its nuclear aircraft carriers: the United States moves USS Gerald R. Ford toward the Middle East

After several days of speculation, and through statements by President Donald Trump, the United States is reportedly in the process of significantly reinforcing its military presence in the Middle East amid tensions with Iran. This follows confirmation of the upcoming deployment to the region of the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, thereby extending a deployment that has already exceeded 200 days. That deployment took the ship from operations in the Mediterranean to becoming one of the most important assets deployed in the Caribbean as part of Operation Southern Spear, which concluded at the beginning of the year with the capture of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.

Over the past week, and as reported by Escenario Mundial, various media outlets and sources speculated about the Trump administration’s decision to mobilize a second aircraft carrier toward the Middle East, thereby complementing the U.S. military presence in the region and increasing pressure on the Iranian regime.

This is not a minor detail, as the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln—along with a significant array of assets—has been operating in the region, accompanied by its Carrier Strike Group composed of escorts and support ships. In fact, in recent days, and amid rising tensions with Iran, an F-35C fighter from its Carrier Air Wing reportedly shot down an Iranian drone that, according to announcements, approached the vessel dangerously close.

Returning to the deployment of USS Gerald R. Ford toward the Middle East, to operate under the Area of Responsibility of United States Central Command, this will mean it will cease operating under United States Southern Command, extending an operational deployment of more than two hundred days without returning to its home port.

In this regard, as previously noted, since mid-last year the nuclear aircraft carrier—the lead ship of its class—has been continuously deployed in operations. By mid-2025, the vessel and its escorts were operating in Europe after departing from Naval Station Norfolk in late June.

Subsequently, within the framework of pressure exerted by Washington against Caracas, with the deployment of high-profile assets, personnel, and capabilities in the Caribbean, it joined Operation Southern Spear, which reached its climax on January 3 with the early-morning capture of President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation that demonstrated to the world the capabilities of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Now, with negotiations between the United States and Venezuela underway and calmer waters in the Caribbean region—while Washington also applies pressure against the regime in Cuba—USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to soon begin, on a date yet to be confirmed and pending preparations, its deployment toward the Middle East.

Beyond international reactions, various voices, including U.S. naval leadership, have indicated that the carrier’s extended deployment will have an impact both in terms of onboard personnel and the demanding and necessary dry-dock maintenance. In concrete terms, more time at sea in high-complexity operations will require, once the ship enters maintenance, a longer period of repairs, assessments, and inspections before returning to service, also creating ripple effects in the rotation schedule the U.S. Navy maintains for its nuclear carriers.

For example, the last aircraft carrier to undergo a similarly extended deployment, USS Eisenhower (CVN-69), has seen its maintenance and overhaul period at Naval Station Norfolk extended by more than a year and a half. Indeed, the Fiscal Year 2026 budget had projected those works to conclude last July, tasks that have still not been completed.

The situation is significant, considering that the current nuclear aircraft carrier fleet of the United States Navy will be reduced in both numbers and availability. In detail, this includes the return of USS Nimitz to the continental United States to begin its decommissioning and retirement process, with all the complexity involved in removing nuclear fuel and dismantling its reactor.

Of the remaining ten carriers—nine of the Nimitz class and the aforementioned Ford class, the only ship of its class until the delivery and entry into service of the future USS John F. Kennedy (which has completed its first sea trials)—three are currently in service (USS Gerald R. Ford, USS George Washington, and USS Abraham Lincoln), while two are in the readiness phase for an upcoming deployment (USS George H.W. Bush and USS Theodore Roosevelt); two others are in post-deployment status (USS Carl Vinson and USS Nimitz); and four are undergoing scheduled maintenance at various facilities: USS Harry S. Truman, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS Ronald Reagan, and USS John C. Stennis.

What has been mentioned—beyond the symbol of American power that nuclear aircraft carriers represent—shows that even these global power-projection platforms, among the most complex and formidable ever created by human ingenuity, have material and human limits, as well as future penalties in terms of time and financial resources.

Finally, with confirmation of the decision to send it to the Middle East, the deployment would not be immediate. USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to begin its transit toward the region at the end of the current month, unless, as President Trump has mentioned, Iran decides to accept the agreements and conditions imposed by the United States to limit its nuclear program, within the framework of negotiations taking place in Oman that resumed on February 6.

Photographs used for illustrative purposes.

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