"US Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Set for Departure Amid Middle East Tensions"
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier, will soon return to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, after being deployed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as a deterrence during the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. The carrier was sent to the region to deter Hezbollah and Iran from expanding the conflict and had its deployment extended due to ongoing tensions. Despite the carrier's departure, the U.S. maintains significant military capability in the region, with additional cruisers and destroyers present. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group remains in the Middle East, and recent escalations have seen U.S. Navy destroyers and helicopters engaging Houthi militants in the Red Sea.