The United States Navy’s most modern aircraft carrier began its first-ever deployment Tuesday and will exercise with other NATO nations amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, along with fighters and other ships comprising its carrier strike group, departed the world’s most extensive Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia. The Ford will join vessels from France, Germany, and Sweden in the Atlantic Ocean for various drills, including anti-submarine warfare.
The exercises come seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine and at a time when tensions between Moscow and the West are rising.
According to Bradley Martin, a senior policy researcher with the RAND Corporation, the exercises will highlight American military capabilities and NATO backing.
The USS Ford is the first aircraft carrier in the Navy’s new Ford class. They are designed to carry a greater range of planes and operate with fewer sailors.
Five years after it was commissioned, the ship is being deployed. Unfortunately, it has been plagued by several problems, including issues with its aircraft launch system and the elevators transporting missiles and bombs to planes on the flight deck.
Martin stated that it is normal for the first ship in a new class to have some issues worked out. But, according to him, the Ford is still part of a more extensive exhibition of the country’s military power.