"USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Group Returns to Norfolk After Mediterranean Mission"

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group is returning to Norfolk, Virginia, after an eight-month deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, prompted by the Israel-Hamas war. The U.S. 6th Fleet announced that the amphibious assault ship Bataan and other vessels will replace the Ford's presence in the region. The Ford's deployment, which included accompanying destroyers, was part of a U.S. effort to maintain a strategic military presence near Israel and to intercept threats in the Red Sea, with the Pentagon extending the deployment three times due to regional instability. The U.S. is also forming a multinational task force to protect civilian ships in the Red Sea from attacks believed to be enabled by Iran.