Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, testifying at a Senate hearing in June 2025, will travel Saturday to Norfolk, Va., to welcome home the USS Gerald R. Ford on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel Saturday to Norfolk, Va., to welcome home the USS Gerald R. Ford and its more than 4,500 embarked sailors and personnel, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The carrier and its crew are on their 325th day of what had been expected to be a routine deployment to Europe that began nearly 11 months ago. Since then, the carrier has seen duty in the Eastern Mediterranean, Caribbean and Red seas, among other locations.
Returning vessels include the USS Gerald R. Ford, USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan.
The carrier’s air wing squadrons returned to their homeports this week.
