The USS Ford aircraft carrier will withdraw from the Middle East and return to the U.S. soon.

Gold Finance reports that on April 30th, citing U.S. officials on the 29th, multiple U.S. media outlets reported that the U.S. Navy’s “Ford” aircraft carrier strike group is expected to depart the Middle East and return to the United States in the near future. According to The Washington Post, it is currently unclear when exactly the “Ford” will leave the Middle East, but one U.S. official stated that the aircraft carrier is expected to return to Virginia in mid-May. Currently, the U.S. military has deployed three aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East: the “Lincoln,” “Ford,” and “Bush” groups. The “Lincoln” and “Bush” carrier strike groups are conducting maritime blockade missions against Iranian ports in the Arabian Sea.
Since June last year, the “Ford” aircraft carrier has been continuously deployed at sea, participating in U.S. military actions against Venezuela and Iran, breaking the record for the longest U.S. aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War. On March 12th, a fire broke out in the laundry room at the stern of the carrier, injuring three sailors, and over 200 sailors received treatment for smoke inhalation. The “Ford” had to withdraw from the Middle East theater and subsequently went to ports in Greece and Croatia for repairs and maintenance. U.S. officials revealed on April 17th that the “Ford” has returned to the Red Sea to carry out missions. (Xinhua News Agency)