Keeping 2nd Carrier Near Middle East Adds Long-term Strain on Navy, Analysts Say

The Navy’s decision to keep two aircraft carriers near Israel will make it difficult to meet maintenance schedules unless one returns home by early next year, analysts say.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered USS Gerald R. Ford and the cruiser USS Normandy to remain in the region for several more weeks, The Associated Press reported Friday.

Ford deployed from Norfolk, Va., in May, but had its November homecoming delayed following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in the region in October for its scheduled deployment.

Read the rest of the story at Stars and Stripes, here.

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