By CAITLYN BURCHETT  STARS AND STRIPES • June 18, 2025

WASHINGTON — The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is slated to deploy next week to the 6th Fleet area of operations, moving a third carrier strike group closer to the conflict between Israel and Iran, a U.S. defense official said Wednesday. The deployment has been scheduled for months, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The 6th Fleet area of operations includes waters surrounding Europe and Africa. The USS Carl Vinson and its strike group are already operating in the area of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East. The Vinson operated in the Indo-Pacific from November to late March before being ordered to the Middle East. The USS Nimitz carrier strike group was pulled two days ago from an Indo-Pacific deployment to support U.S. forces in the Middle East amid the ongoing strikes between Israel and Iran. The Nimitz was making its way through the Singapore Strait early Monday, according to a ship spotter in the area who observed the carrier. The strait is a waterway that connects the South China Sea to the CENTCOM area of responsibility. It is unclear whether the U.S. will keep three carrier strike groups in close proximity to the Israel-Iran conflict. The move comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the Pentagon was providing possible military options to President Donald Trump, who is considering whether to join Israel’s bombing campaign of Iran’s nuclear program. The Defense Department has also sent dozens of refueling aircraft to Europe to position them to respond to the conflict and dispatched at least two Navy destroyers to the Middle East. The Ford will depart from its homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va. The strike group includes the USS Winston Churchill from Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and the USS Mitscher, USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge and USS Forrest Sherman, all from the Virginia installation. Aboard the ships will be an air wing made up of nine aviation squadrons, including four F-18 fighter jet squadrons and one electronic attack Growler squadron. The defense official was unable to say whether the Ford is bound for the Middle East, but Navy leaders in March said the ship was ready in the event it is directed to the conflict-riddled region. The strike group’s Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyers will deploy with the Coyote and Roadrunner systems, two interceptor-style drone systems designed to stop other drones before they reach their intended targets. The new weapons are intended to counter Houthi drones for a fraction of the price of a standard missile typically used by the sea service, Navy officials have said. CAITLYN BURCHETT Caitlyn Burchett covers defense news at the Pentagon. Before joining Stars and Stripes, she was the military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. She is based in Washington, D.C. PREVIOUS COVERAGE Hegseth says the Pentagon is providing military options as Trump weighs US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict Subscribe to Stars and StripesJust 99c a week!SUBSCRIBE STARS AND STRIPES VIDEOS Take a look at the Chinook Helicopter Marine family helps add WWII medic’s name to Okinawa monument Military dogs eligible for Hero Dog Award from the American… Sights and sounds from the 250th birthday celebration of the US… Live-fire drills near Mount Fuji focus on island defense USS George Washington starts first patrol since returning… Wall climbed during D-Day on display at National World War II… 101st Airborne Normandy battlefield tour Japan’s elite White Angels lead motorcycle safety training at US… Army’s former top enlisted leader visits soldiers in South Korea AROUND THE WEB STRIPES TOP NEWS U.S. Another 2,000 National Guard troops ordered into LA to help subdue ongoing protests U.S. Hegseth says the Pentagon is providing military options as Trump weighs US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict ARMY Two soldiers die from non-combat injuries in the Middle East SIGN UP FOR DAILY HEADLINES Sign up to receive a daily email of today’s top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world. SIGN UP NOW SUBSCRIBE LOGIN OUR MISSION OUR HISTORY HELP THEATERS BRANCHES VETERANS HISTORY SPORTS LIVING MULTIMEDIA GET STRIPES OPINION STORM TRACKER PROMOTIONS TODAY’S EPAPER OUR OTHER WEBSITES BACK TO TOP © 2025 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved. | Disclaimer | Web Notices and Privacy Policy | Accessibility / Section 508 | Veterans/Military Crisis Line

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Source – Stars and Stripes

By Riley Ceder – Jun 17, 2025, 08:24 AM

The U.S. Navy is moving the aircraft carrier Nimitz from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East as regional tensions continue to boil between Israel and Iran, a defense official confirmed to Navy Times.

The carrier, previously conducting routine operations in the South China Sea, made its way through the Strait of Malacca to begin its deployment in the Middle East over the weekend.

The official said the move is not in direct response to escalating tensions in the area — with Israel and Iran exchanging missile fire since an Israeli strike on June 13 — and comes amid a scheduled deployment to replace the Carl Vinson Strike Group, which is currently seven months into its deployment and ready to rotate out.

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However, the official did acknowledge that the attacks between the two nations ushered in a degree of immediacy for the deployment.

The Nimitz was initially scheduled to do a port call in Vietnam, but circumstances annexed that stop from the schedule, the official noted.

Other reinforcements and ballistic missile defense-capable ships might soon be on their way to the Middle East as well. The missile destroyer Thomas Hudner left its previous station in the western Mediterranean and recently arrived in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the official.

Israel’s June 13 strike against Iran targeted the country’s nuclear facilities and killed senior military leaders and nuclear scientists in an ongoing attempt to derail Iran’s pursuit to develop a nuclear weapon.

The attack followed intelligence from Israel’s Mossad spy agency which suggested that Iran was closer than ever to developing a nuclear weapon.

A day before Israel’s attack, Iran announced its intention to activate a third enrichment facility.

The news came a little over a week after the U.N. nuclear watchdog Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had enriched the uranium in its nuclear stockpile by 50% since its last report in February, an uptick that brought it closer to weapons-grade levels.

About Riley Ceder

Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.

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June 13, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

Defense company BAE Systems has been awarded a major US Navy contract valued at $155.9 million to carry out maintenance, modernization, and repairs on the USS Somerset (LPD 25).

As informed, the firm-fixed-price contract, issued by Naval Sea Systems Command, covers the vessel’s fiscal year 2025 docking selected restricted availability (DSRA).

Under the agreement, BAE Systems will provide all necessary labor, supervision, equipment, testing, facilities, and quality assurance to complete the chief of naval operations availability.

The contract includes options that, if exercised, could raise the total value to approximately $178.4 million.

This contract underscores BAE Systems’ role as a key partner in the US Navy’s ship sustainment and readiness strategy on the West Coast.

USS Somerset is a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship designed to support a wide range of expeditionary warfare missions.

Commissioned on March 1, 2014, the vessel is the ninth ship in its class and plays a critical role in transporting and deploying US Marines, their equipment, and supplies by landing craft, air cushion (LCAC), or amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs), augmented by helicopters and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. It was built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII).

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