U.S. Aircraft Carrier "Ford" Returns to the Red Sea Region

On April 17, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington that U.S. officials disclosed to the media that the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ford, escorted by two destroyers, has left the eastern Mediterranean and crossed the Suez Canal, and is currently conducting operations in the Red Sea.

Citing a U.S. official, CNN reported that this deployment is part of a broader action by the U.S. military aimed at maintaining readiness to resume combat operations against Iran should the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement fail to hold.

Currently, the U.S. Navy's USS Lincoln carrier strike group is operating in the Middle East. With the arrival of the USS Ford, the U.S. military is restoring a "dual-carrier" deployment posture in the region.

U.S. officials stated that the USS Bush carrier strike group left Norfolk, Virginia, on the U.S. East Coast for the Middle East in late March and is currently located near South Africa. After arriving in the Middle East, this carrier strike group may join the existing formation, creating a "triple-carrier" deployment posture, or it may replace the USS Ford in its operations.

Since June of last year, the USS Ford has been continuously deployed at sea, participating in U.S. military operations against Venezuela and Iran, breaking the record for the longest deployment of U.S. aircraft carriers since the Vietnam War. On March 12, a fire broke out in the laundry room at the stern of the carrier, injuring three sailors, while over 200 sailors received treatment for smoke inhalation. The USS Ford subsequently had to withdraw from the Middle East theater and went to ports in Greece and Croatia for repairs and maintenance. On April 2, the USS Ford left the port of Split, Croatia.