Hegseth presents top award to Ford carrier strike group after record deployment

“The Ford Carrier Strike Group did an extraordinary job,” Hegseth said at the homecoming ceremony. “The only story we can tell today is of the heroism and the skill and the professionalism of these sailors, who went three times around the globe to defend that flag right there.”

Nearly 4,500 sailors aboard one of the ships in the carrier strike group returned stateside after spending 326 days abroad. The vessels that returned include the USS Gerald R. Ford, USS Bainbridge, and USS Mahan, according to the Department of War.

Last June, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on a routine deployment to Europe that ended up taking longer than expected.

By October, the warship was ordered to sail to the Caribbean Sea as part of a large military buildup in the region that culminated in the capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in January. It then made its way over to the Middle East to take part in the war with Iran, joining the USS George W. Bush and USS Abraham Lincoln.

“President Trump sent the Ford around the world – repeatedly extending its deployment – from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean and the coast of Venezuela and then back to the Middle East in support of an open-ended conflict of his choosing,” Warner posted on X Saturday morning. “These decisions placed enormous strain on our servicemembers, their families, and the overall readiness of one of our most important naval assets.”

The USS Abraham Lincoln previously held the record for the longest post-Vietnam deployment of an aircraft carrier. Its 295-day deployment ended in January 2020.

The USS Gerald R. Ford returned to Norfolk after undergoing a non-combat-related fire in the laundry room two months ago. Sailors were temporarily misplaced because the fire damaged their sleeping quarters. Despite the emergency incident, the ship remained fully operational.