Overview
- President Donald Trump said the carrier "will be leaving very shortly" from the Caribbean, adding "in case we don't make a deal, we'll need it."
- Two U.S. carrier strike groups will operate in the region once the Ford arrives, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying warships already on station.
- U.S. officials told media the Ford’s transit could take three to four weeks, and reporting indicates the crew’s return and scheduled maintenance are likely to slip to late April or early May.
- Initial details were reported by the New York Times citing unnamed officials, and the Pentagon and White House offered no immediate comment before Trump publicly confirmed the order.
- The deployment follows inconclusive indirect talks in Oman and Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Gulf partners caution that any strike on Iran could trigger wider conflict.