The United States has moved one of its most advanced aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford, back into the Middle East, according to two US defence officials quoted by the Associated Press (AP).
The officials said the carrier, which had been operating in the eastern Mediterranean, has now entered the Red Sea after passing through the Suez Canal. It was accompanied by two destroyers, the USS Mahan and the USS Winston S. Churchill.
“The Ford has transited into the Red Sea and is now operating in the region,” one official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the deployment.
The move comes after the carrier spent more than a month in the Mediterranean following a fire in a laundry area that forced it to return to port for repairs. Despite the setback, the Ford recently set a record for the longest US aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War.
Its return means there are now two US aircraft carriers in the wider region. The USS Abraham Lincoln is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea.
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Meanwhile, a third carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush, is also heading towards the area and is presently off the coast of South Africa, one of the officials added.
The increased naval presence highlights rising US military activity in the region, although officials did not provide further details about the mission.
