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US Navy’s newest Supercarrier transited the Suez Canal, entered Red Sea

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The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), transits the Suez Canal, March 5, 2026. (U.S. NAVY PHOTO)
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The United States Navy’s newest, largest and most capable nuclear-powered supercarrier entered the Red Sea on Friday after transiting the Suez Canal for the first time.

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is now officially operating in U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, even as it has been supporting the ongoing Operation Epic Fury from the eastern Mediterranean, where it arrived last month.

This marks the first deployment to the Middle East for CVN-78, and the furthest the aircraft carrier has traveled from the United States since it entered service with the U.S. Navy in July 2017.

During the warship’s previous extended deployment in 2023, USS Gerald R. Ford operated in the Mediterranean, with several of the escort ships in Carrier Strike Group 12 dispatched to the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping.

Then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed CSG-12 to the region following the October 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel to deter escalation, and to counter missiles and drones fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group operating in Yemen.

Since the start of the current conflict with Iran, which began on February 28, the Houthis have expressed support for Tehran, yet have not resumed their attacks on shipping in the region.

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Long deployment further extended

As of Saturday, USS Gerald R. Ford has been at sea for 255 days, exceeding the previous deployment that finally ended on January 17, 2024, after CVN-78 spent a total of 239 days away from her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia.

The current mission could stretch to 11 months, with the supercarrier unlikely to return home until May, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jim Kilby told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“That extension will ultimately be about an 11-month deployment,” Kilby told the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on readiness and management support, according to USNI News. “So there’ll be an impact on her return and the schedule for her maintenance availability so she’s ready to go again,” he added. “The good part about our public shipyards is they’re adjusting that schedule. They’re ready to bring our carrier back and maintain her.”

CVN-78 departed from Norfolk on June 24, 2025.

Even if the deployment is cut short, by mid-April, USS Gerald R. Ford will still have broken the post-Vietnam War record set by USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 2019-2020 of 294 days at sea. By early May, CVN-78 could see a deployment as long as those during the Vietnam War, when U.S. Navy carriers spent 300 days or longer operating in the Gulf of Tonkin.

USS Gerald R. Ford Conducts Operations in Support of Operation Epic Fury
An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, lands on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 2, 2026.
(U.S. NAVY PHOTO)

The conventionally-powered USS Midway (CVA-41) holds the record for 332 days at sea during its 1972-73 deployment. The extended, nearly year-long deployment supported operations during the conflict in Southeast Asia, including the intensified air campaigns against North Vietnam in 1972.

Keeping The Crew Fed

Even as nuclear-powered warships have unlimited range and endurance, the crew still needs to eat, and the aircraft need fuel. However, the U.S. Navy has that covered.

“The carrier and its crew can be resupplied by air and logistics ships so that it can remain at sea for a very long time.
This is combat, and the crew is ready to execute the mission,” explained Brent Sadler, senior research fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology in the Allison Center for National Security at the Heritage Foundation.

He added that CVN-78’s extended deployment was largely unavoidable.

“We have too few of these ships for a major war,” said Sadler.

Wear And Tear On The Ship, And On The Crew

The downside of such a lengthy deployment is that it is certain to take a toll on the supercarrier, which will require an extended post-deployment maintenance period. Even as Kirby said the shipyards will adjust as needed, the extended time at sea may impact planned upgrades for the carrier.

“Another area for consideration is the limited capabilities to conduct maintenance on the aircraft stationed on the Ford, as well as the vessel itself,” said Lewis Galvin, lead Americas analyst at private intelligence firm Sibylline.

Any mishaps will further complicate matters.

“Repairs are possible while on deployment, but extensive damage will likely have to be addressed post-deployment,” Galvin noted.

However, it isn’t just the wear and tear on the ship that is a concern. The record-setting deployment may impact the personnel onboard.

“Crew morale and fatigue are the primary concerns at the moment,” Galvin said in an email, noting that the USS Gerald R. Ford was initially scheduled to end its deployment in early March.

“Several problems on aircraft carriers have been reported in recent years,” warned Galvin. “In 2022, the crash of an F-35C on the USS Carl Vinson was attributed to pilot workload and decision-making under pressure. In 2016, an E-2C Hawkeye was damaged on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, with a subsequent investigation citing procedural mistakes. This risk is elevated if deployments are protracted.” (Forbes)

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Iran threatens retaliation, says US strikes violated ceasefire

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US President Donald Trump
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Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of violating a fragile ceasefire during the past 48 hours in the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, without specifying the incident.

The accusation comes after US Central Command said its forces had on Monday attacked missile sites and boats in southern Iran that were trying to lay mines in the Gulf, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it fired at US aircraft trying to enter its airspace.

“The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire… has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that Tehran “will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation,” without elaborating.

Tuesday’s statement came as a top Iranian delegation was in Qatar for talks as part of a “diplomatic process” aimed at ending the war with the United States, which broke out on February 28

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Dozens of lranian fighters killed, as US resumes strike in Strait of Hormuz, targets IRGC Naval Boats in the Gulf

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U.S. fighter jets have reportedly struck IRGC naval boats in the Gulf after Iranian forces allegedly targeted a vessel near Bandar Abbas.

U.S. Central Command confirms “self-defense strikes” were carried out against Iranian boats and missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions in the region.

It was stated that the numbers of dead has increased from 9 to 15, with dozens still missing while others remain injured.

According to emerging reports, the strikes targeted IRGC maritime assets and defensive positions during what rapidly escalated into a major military confrontation in the region. Rescue and emergency operations are said to be ongoing as authorities continue searching for missing personnel.

Iranian and regional media report heavy explosions and gunfire near Bandar Abbas, while negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue in Qatar.

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The situation is still developing, and some battlefield claims remain independently unverified.

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Suspect killed after firing shots near White House security checkpoint in US, Secret Service says

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Secret Service agents are seen after a lockdown was lifted at the White House
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A man who opened fire Saturday near a White House security checkpoint is dead after being shot by officers who returned fire, the U.S. Secret Service said. It was the third incidence of gunfire in the vicinity of President Donald Trump in the past month.

The law enforcement agency said in a statement posted on X that the man was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he “pulled a weapon from his bag” shortly after 6 p.m. EDT and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who died at a hospital, the agency said.

The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, said a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

According to District of Columbia court records, Best was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization, didn’t heed officers’ commands to stop, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and said he wanted to be arrested.

An initial hearing was held and a “Pretrial Stay Away Order” was issued, typically a measure ordering a defendant not to go near a person or area before a trial. A bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of “noncompliance” against Best, who did appear for a subsequent hearing.

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Latest gunfire incident around Trump

It was the third time in the past month that shots were fired near the president after incidents at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April and near the Washington Monument earlier in May.

A bystander was also struck on Saturday, but a law enforcement official said it wasn’t clear whether that person was hit by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.

Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that Trump — who was at the White House at the time — was not “impacted.” Trump originally was scheduled to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club but changed his plans on Friday to stay at the White House instead.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that agency personnel were on the scene and “we will update the public as we’re able.”

Evidence of the shooting was visible on a sidewalk just outside the White House complex, where yellow crime scene tape snaked across the pavement and Secret Service officers placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground. Medical material, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and kits typically used by emergency medical personnel, were also seen.

Gunshots heard by journalists at the White House

Journalists working at the White House on Saturday evening reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to seek shelter inside the press briefing room.

In a post shared on X, ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic video of the moment she said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots” and ducked for cover. Writing that she had been performing a routine task that White House reporters do daily — filming themselves on a cellphone for a social media post — Wang’s video shows her speaking for a few seconds about Trump’s statements earlier Saturday about a potential Iran deal.

As the sounds of gunfire are heard in the background, Wang’s eyes grow wider, and she ducks down in the media tent, which is among those situated in a line along the White House driveway where broadcasters film their reports. On X, Wang’s video had been shared thousands of times as of Saturday evening, and viewed at least 3 million times.

Shooting scene not far from a deadly incident last year

The shooting scene is within walking distance of where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.

U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from the wounds she suffered in that shooting. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, then 24, was critically wounded. Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged in that incident.

The gunfire Saturday came nearly a month after what law enforcement authorities said was an attempted assassination of the president as he attended the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at a Washington hotel on April 25. Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, recently pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill Trump. Allen is accused of running through a security checkpoint inside the hotel and firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.

Following that scare, Secret Service officers shot a suspect they said had fired at officers near the Washington Monument, several blocks from the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with the May 4 shooting. A teenage bystander was wounded in that incident. AP

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