The U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), has returned to the Mediterranean Sea — the first American carrier to operate in the region since August — signaling a renewed U.S. presence in southern European waters.
The Ford last operated in the Mediterranean in mid-August, before sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar on August 13 and continuing operations in the North Atlantic, including the waters near the United Kingdom and Norway.
In late September, the carrier participated in Neptune Strike 2025-3, a large-scale NATO maritime exercise in the North Sea, during which NATO assumed operational control of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. The exercise, which concluded on September 26, marked the third such iteration this year; an earlier phase took place in the Mediterranean between July 24 and August 1.
While in northern waters, U.S. destroyers operating with the strike group conducted joint drills with Norwegian naval units, closely monitored by Russian ships and aircraft near Nordland, Norway.
The U.S. Navy has maintained a rotational carrier presence in the Mediterranean since 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to reinforce NATO deterrence in Europe’s southern flank. That posture shifted temporarily in late 2023, when the Ford and other U.S. carriers were repositioned toward the Red Sea and North Arabian Sea in response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and regional tensions involving Israel and Iran.
The carrier’s return to the Mediterranean underscores Washington’s intent to sustain visible naval engagement in both European and Middle Eastern theaters, balancing commitments across a broad and increasingly contested maritime landscape.
Photo: The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) sails in formation with the Gerald R. Ford Strike Group (GRFCSG), which includes the USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Mohammed V (611), a Floréal-class frigate of the Royal Moroccan Navy, USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), Santa María (F81), a Santa Maria-class frigate of the Spanish Navy, as the strike group transits through the Strait of Gibraltar, Oct. 1, 2025. Paul Ignatius is on a scheduled deployment in the 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Joseph Macklin)
