The USS Gerald R. Ford will return to the US after nearly a year at war.
The Ford is one of three aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East. The Washington Post reported speaking with US officials who said USS Ford will be leaving the region in the coming days and return to the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
The removal of the USS Ford from the Middle East will leave two aircraft carrier strike groups operating in the Arabian Sea, the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS Abraham Lincoln. The US Navy is attempting to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports. Last week, CENTCOM reported that the Navy had intercepted about three dozen Iranian vessels, roughly the same number that broke the blockade.
President Donald Trump believes that the blockade is strangling the Iranian economy and has the government in Tehran on the verge of collapse. However, there is no indication of any pending collapse in Iran. Additionally, Tehran experienced a windfall of oil profits during the first month of the war, when oil prices spiked, and the US suspended sanctions on Iran.
The US has two additional aircraft carrier strike groups, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Theodore Roosevelt, which could deploy to the Middle East at some point this year.
The USS Ford’s return to the US comes after nearly a year at war. Last year, the Ford deployed to the Caribbean, where it engaged in operations against alleged drug vessels and Venezuela. The Ford was then moved to the Middle East for the war against Iran. The Ford suffered significant plumbing issues and a laundry room fire.
