Ford Aircraft Carrier to Return After Record-Setting Deployment

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has supported U.S. combat operations in Venezuela and Iran over the course of a nearly yearlong deployment.

U.S. Sailors handle ordnance on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, on March 2, 2026. U.S. Navy

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford will soon return to the United States to conclude a nearly yearlong deployment, a U.S. official familiar with the matter told The Epoch Times.

The Ford is one of three U.S. aircraft carriers currently deployed to the waterways of the Middle East. The carrier supported recent strikes on Iran and has positioned itself at the north end of the Red Sea amid an ongoing ceasefire.