US Navy's newest carrier to deploy, train with NATO nations
The U.S. Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier is set to embark on its first deployment following years of delays and problems with its new technology
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Following years of delays and problems with its new technology, the U.S. Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier embarks on its first deployment next week and will train with other NATO countries at a time of increasing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The USS Gerald R. Ford leaves the world's largest Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, Monday along with destroyers and other warships, the U.S. Navy said in a statement Thursday. The carrier strike group will join ships in the Atlantic Ocean from countries that include France, Germany and Sweden for various exercises, including anti-submarine warfare.
“The Atlantic is an area of strategic interest,” Vice Admiral Daniel Dwyer said in a statement. “Our primary goal is to contribute to a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Atlantic region through the combined naval power of our Allies and partners.”
Dwyer commands the U.S. Navy's 2nd Fleet, which oversees American warships as they deploy between the U.S. East Coast and the Barents Sea, off of the coasts of Norway and Russia. The U.S. has sharpened its focus on the North Atlantic in recent years after the Russian military ramped up operations to a pace not seen since the end of the Cold War.
