February 13, 2026 at 2:13 PM
USS Gerald Ford the second aircraft carrier sent to Middle East: Report
The USS Gerald Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks time.
PentagonBy Konstantin Toropin and Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press Friday, Feb 13, 2026The USS Gerald R. Ford, seen here transiting the Strait of Gibraltar, is currently heading toward the Middle East. (MCS Alyssa Joy/U.S.
Navy)The United States will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said Friday, putting more American firepower behind President Donald Trump’s efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the Mideast comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations didn’t materialize as one of Tehran’s top security officials visited Oman and Qatar this week and exchanged messages with the U.S.