AhlulBayt News Agency: While the United States continues to beat the drums of attacking Iran amid its extensive military deployment in West Asia, the realities on the ground tell a different story.
United States has engaged in an unprecedented and wide-ranging military buildup in West Asia, particularly in areas surrounding Iran, and has used this presence to threaten Tehran. However, there is clear evidence pointing to the growing exhaustion and strain of the U.S. military forces.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the flagship of the U.S. Navy, built at a cost of more than $13 billion, is considered a symbol of America’s power projection. However, its prolonged and uninterrupted deployment has exposed a key vulnerability of aircraft carriers within the U.S. defense system.
The Gerald R. Ford, the most expensive nuclear-powered carrier in the U.S. fleet, has been dispatched to West Asia following an unprecedented deployment. Yet this mission has raised serious questions about the carrier’s operational capability in the face of Iran—particularly as heavy wear and tear have significantly weakened its combat readiness.
Although the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) was dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea with the stated aim of countering Iran and has been stationed near the port of Haifa, the unprecedented length of its deployment—approaching 300 days, which would mark the longest carrier mission since the Vietnam War—has made signs of material strain and crew fatigue increasingly evident.
The carrier has reportedly been operating continuously since June 24, 2025 (around 238 days so far), and is expected to reach nearly 300 days of deployment by May 2026. Such an extended mission places the Gerald R. Ford on the brink of significant attrition, further challenging its operational capability in any potential confrontation with Iran.
The Zionist newspaper Maariv reported that personnel aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) have protested the extension of their deployment.
Citing Western media reports, the newspaper stated that a significant number of crew members and service personnel on the carrier—dispatched to West Asia by order of U.S. President Donald Trump—have expressed dissatisfaction with the prolonged mission and warned that they would not continue serving in the Navy after returning home.
According to the report, some of them told American media outlets that the extended deployment has disrupted their personal lives. They stressed that the president’s order to prolong the Gerald R. Ford’s mission has placed a heavy burden on them and their families, leading many to decide that they will leave the military upon their return to the United States.
While U.S. aircraft carrier deployments typically last about six months, the forces aboard this carrier have now spent more than eight months at sea, far from their homes.
One sailor said that personnel are extremely angry, with some openly declaring that they will leave the service as soon as they return home. Another crew member emphasized that the repeated extensions have multiplied the hardship of the current mission several times over.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has operated in the North Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean Sea since the start of its mission. Now, by positioning the carrier near occupied Palestine, Washington claims it is taking part in a pressure campaign against Tehran.
However, the prolonged deployment of this highly complex and costly aircraft carrier has led to severe wear and tear, mounting maintenance challenges, and growing crew fatigue. This pattern of deployment—approaching levels not seen since the Vietnam War—appears unsustainable due to limited repair capacity and the erosion of the U.S. defense industrial base.
Importantly, amid a shortage of operational aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy is using the Ford as a tool of power projection without sufficient regard for its technical and human limitations. This situation not only reflects a serious crisis in America’s shipbuilding industry, but also signals a lack of adequate military resources and equipment to effectively respond to regional and international crises.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is not merely a sign of the aging of America’s fleet, but also an indication that the country may be entering an era of warfare without sufficient industrial and military prerequisites for victory.
Systemic problems and structural constraints within the U.S. defense industrial base and shipbuilding facilities are not expected to be resolved in the short term. Meanwhile, advances in anti-ship missile technology and the widespread proliferation of such systems among America’s rivals have increased the vulnerability of the Ford and other aircraft carriers in future combat scenarios.
These developments have raised serious concerns within the Pentagon that the United States could potentially lose even one of its aircraft carriers in a major future war without having a reliable replacement available.
U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly believed that the unprecedented deployment of U.S. military forces in West Asia, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), would intimidate Iran into yielding to Washington’s unreasonable and unlawful demands.
However, Iran’s comprehensive resistance to U.S. pressure, along with the risk of a wider regional war, has placed the Trump administration in a difficult and confusing position.
In this regard, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy in negotiations with Iran, said in an interview with Fox News that Trump was surprised by Iran’s resilience. He noted that Trump is astonished that, despite maximum pressure and the threat of a massive naval fleet, Iran has not agreed to Washington’s conditions for reaching a deal.
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