USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is returning home after extended deployment defending Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group is heading home after months of extra duty at sea providing protection for Israel. The Navy announced Monday (Jan. 1, 2023) the Ford and its accompanying warships will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its two 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. Since it was extended in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Ford and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier have been part of a two-carrier presence bracketing the Israel-Hamas war, underscoring U.S. concerns the conflict will widen.