The United States Department of Defense has confirmed that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford has returned to the United States after spending 326 days on deployment.
The mission has been described as the longest carrier strike group deployment since the Vietnam War.
The USS Gerald Ford arrived Saturday at the port of Norfolk, Virginia, where US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a welcoming ceremony.
The carrier had been deployed to the Middle East before the outbreak of the war with Iran and later participated in multiple military operations during its mission.
According to the US military, the USS Gerald Ford took part in operations related to counter-narcotics missions in the Caribbean, the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers, and operations connected to the detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
During the deployment, several reports also emerged regarding technical and internal problems aboard the ship.
These included a fire in the laundry section that injured two sailors and damaged around 100 bunks.
Media reports additionally highlighted major failures in the ship’s sewage and sanitation systems.
The return of the USS Gerald Ford comes as the role of aircraft carriers in US global military strategy receives renewed attention.
Analysts say the unusually long deployment reflects growing pressure on the US Navy to manage multiple international crises simultaneously, from the Middle East to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Experts also note that the reported technical problems aboard the vessel have intensified debate over the enormous operational and maintenance costs associated with maintaining the world’s largest military ships.
The USS Gerald Ford is considered one of the most advanced aircraft carriers ever built and serves as a central component of US naval power projection worldwide.
