News - US deploys Ford carrier strike group to aid Israel following Hamas attack

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced the deployment of the Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean in readiness to assist Israel in the wake of an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, as reported by The Associated Press. Comprising the Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, with its approximately 5,000 sailors and carrier-based combat aircraft, the group will be accompanied by cruisers and destroyers, demonstrating its capabilities and preparedness. The mission's objectives range from preventing further weapons deliveries to Hamas to conducting surveillance. This significant deployment, including various ships and warplanes, underscores the United States' deep concerns about preventing the escalation of the conflict. Alongside the USS Gerald Ford, the US is dispatching the USS Normandy cruiser and the USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt destroyers, as well as squadrons of US Air Force fighter jets, including F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 aircraft, to the region. Furthermore, Defense Secretary Austin has affirmed the Biden Administration's commitment to provide additional equipment and resources, such as ammunition, to the Israeli Defense Forces. The initial security aid will commence its transit today and arrive in the coming days. Notably, a carrier strike group originating from Norfolk, Virginia, was already positioned in the Mediterranean and conducted naval exercises with Italy in the Ionian Sea last week. This deployment marks the aircraft carrier's first full mission.