The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel
CBSN
The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group is headed home, the Navy announced Monday, months after being deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to provide protection for Israel following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
The Ford and its accompanying warships will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its accompanying warships, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall. The three vessels had been in the Red Sea and have been transiting toward the Eastern Mediterranean over the last few days. The Navy said in its Monday announcement the group remaining will include the three ships and 2,000 Marines "that provide sea-based expeditionary forces capable of supporting a wide range of missions."
The Ford stayed in the Eastern Mediterranean while its accompanying warships had sailed into the Red Sea, where they repeatedly intercepted incoming ballistic missiles and attack drones fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Ford last month.