SECDEF Austin Extends USS Gerald R. Ford Deployment (again)

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has decided to prolong the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to information from a defense official. This extension disappoints family members who had hoped for the strike group’s return to Norfolk in time for the holidays.

This marks the third occasion that the secretary of defense has extended the deployment of the strike group, which is currently stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the U.S.’s ongoing response to the Hamas attacks on Israel that began on Oct. 7. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and other ships in the carrier strike group were initially deployed in May, taking over from the George H.W. Bush CSG in the Mediterranean as part of the U.S. response to the Russo-Ukraine War. The Associated Press was the first to report this extension.

The carrier strike group has been on deployment for 227 days, equivalent to approximately seven and a half months. Extended deployments have become a common feature for strike groups sent to the Mediterranean since December 2021, preceding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The George H.W. Bush CSG spent eight months on deployment, and the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group spent nine months on deployment.

Initially, the Navy’s plan was to bring the strike group home for the holidays and regroup the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group to support the ongoing naval presence mission.

The Bataan ARG set sail in July for the Middle East as part of the U.S. response to Iranian and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy actions against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. According to USNI News’ latest Fleet Tracker, the Bataan ARG is currently positioned in the Red Sea.

Led by the flagship USS Bataan (LHD-5), the Bataan ARG includes USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) and USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19). While Bataan and Carter Hall have been operating jointly, Mesa Verde has been navigating in the Mediterranean.

The reassembly of the Bataan ARG would also offer support for a non-combative evacuation operation in Lebanon if the need arises.

(https://news.usni.org/)