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US Sends Carrier Ford Through Suez with Reports Bush is Following

USS George H.W. Bush carrier in Atlantic
USS George H.W. Bush in February during the now completed training exercise (USN)

Published Mar 6, 2026 11:23 PM by The Maritime Executive


The U.S. Navy confirmed that the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and her strike group transited the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. It joins the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is currently in the Arabian Gulf, having taken over the duty when the carrier Harry S. Truman left the region last year, and now there are reports that the USS George H.W. Bush is preparing to deploy to the region as well.

The U.S. Navy released several pictures showing the sailors at their stations as the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier made her transit of the Suez Canal on March 5. One picture shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge transiting the Suez Canal aft of the Ford, and a third unidentified warship is visible as well.

 

USS Bainbridge and a third warship from the deck of the Ford during the Suez transit (USN)

 

The Navy has not commented on the reports that the Bush will also be deployed, but analysts are noting it would be the first time the U.S. has deployed three of its nuclear aircraft carriers at the same time into the region. It would represent an immense amount of firepower concentrated in the region and aligns with the statements from the Pentagon and CENTCOM that Operation Epic Furry is intensifying. Donald Trump has said larger, more significant waves are coming.

In the first week of the campaign, CENTCOM is now saying over 3,000 targets have been hit. Reports are that the Israelis have also conducted 2,500 strikes. CENTCOM reports that while the mission is to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, it says the current focus is on locations that pose an immediate threat. At the end of the first week of the campaign, they are reporting that 43 Iranian ships have been damaged or destroyed, and that 80 percent of the air defenses have been disabled. It also asserts that missile and drone launches have been significantly reduced.

USS Gerald R. Ford deployed on June 24, 2025, and the U.S. Navy is now acknowledging that an extended deployment of this length and scope demands endurance and places strains on the more than 4,000 people aboard the carrier. The carrier had been in Europe, was rushed across the Atlantic to join the efforts off Venezuela, and then they detached and rushed back to the Eastern Mediterranean. The Navy acknowledged the crew got a brief rest in late February when the carrier made a routine, scheduled resupply of food, fuel, and ammunition at Souda Bay, Crete.

The Ford is currently on track for the longest deployment since the Vietnam War. She is passing the extended tours the carriers were on during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been speculated that she could continue to be deployed until at least May 2026.

 

USS Gerald R. Ford transited the Suez Canal on March 5 (USN)

 

The Navy today reported the USS George H.W. Bush completed its final training certification off Virginia on March 5. The rumor is that she is preparing to deploy this month to the US Fifth Fleet, which encompasses the Middle East region.

“COMPTUEX is the certification event for the strike group to let us know we are ready for major combat operations around the world,” said Rear Adm. Alexis Walker, commander, Carrier Strike Group 10, commenting on the program the Bush has completed. “It brings the entire strike group team together and enables us to operate as we would when we’re forward deployed.”

According to the Navy, it is a sustained, complex training exercise that prepares a naval task force for high-end joint and combined combat. Over several weeks, it reports units tested air, surface, subsurface, and cyber warfare areas across all domains with Carrier Air Wing 7, composed of nine squadrons and approximately 2,400 sailors and aviators deployed. Over 28 days, the report says Carrier Air Wing 7 flew 1,586 sorties, tallying up 693 arrested landings during the day and 682 at night. The reports emphasize that the Carrier Strike Group is honed and prepared to deploy. 

 

 

At the same time, CENTCOM continues to dismiss the reports coming from Iran about its efforts to engage and attack USS Abraham Lincoln and her strike group. CENTCOM points out that the Iranians, for five days running, made claims of damaging or sinking the carrier.

Today, the Iranian news agency Mizan claimed Iranian forces had chased the carrier and her destroyers away from the area outside the Straits of Hormuz. They said the group had been within 340 kilometers of the Straits when Iranian drones attacked. They claimed the Lincoln and her destroyers “fled at high speed.”

CENTCOM scoffed at the reports, posting pictures online of the Lincoln and the pace of activity from her flight deck.