According to various reports, it has been confirmed that the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), along with the escorts comprising its Carrier Strike Group, recently departed the Caribbean region to head toward the Middle East, representing a new repositioning of some of the United States’ most significant military assets on a global level. The information was confirmed through official reports and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) sources that tracked the change in course of the lead ship of the new Ford class.
Prior to this redeployment, the USS Gerald R. Ford—the most modern and largest aircraft carrier in the world—had been operating in the Caribbean as part of missions within the area of responsibility of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).
Following its arrival in the region in November 2025, the vessel carried out various tasks, exercises, and support missions under Operation “Southern Spear,” promoted by the White House against criminal and drug trafficking networks, culminating in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Now, months later, and amid mounting pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, the Department of Defense has redirected and reinforced its naval presence toward the Middle East by dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford, which will soon join the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), already operating in the Arabian Sea. This implies the transit of CVN-78 into the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility, reflecting the importance the current Republican administration is placing on the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing negotiations with the Iranian regime.
The most recent Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) reports currently place the USS Gerald R. Ford sailing in the North Atlantic toward the Strait of Gibraltar, adding a new component to the complex regional scenario.
Regional reconfiguration
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Middle East comes at a time of high operational demand for the U.S. nuclear-powered carrier fleet. Currently, not only is the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group operating in the region, but additional aircraft and support vessels are also present.
In this context, the Ford’s new movement also brings attention to the extension of its deployment period without entering port for maintenance and repairs. Should it remain in theater through April or May, CVN-78 could surpass 200 consecutive days of operations, approaching the more than 300-day deployments carried out by U.S. aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War.
The forthcoming arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford in the region also recreates a situation not seen since last summer, when the United States had two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East—namely, USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)—following Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, during which Iran’s nuclear program was targeted with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.
Finally, once CVN-78 arrives and joins operations alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. deployment in the region would reach fifteen destroyers, in addition to the presence of unidentified attack submarines, along with the embarked air wings of both carriers. These include F/A-18 and F-35C Lightning II fighters, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D early warning aircraft, MH-60 S/R helicopters, and CMV-22B support aircraft.
Photographs used for illustrative purposes.
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