US Navy’s newest carrier to deploy, train with NATO nations

By BEN FINLEY
Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier is set to embark on its first deployment following years of delays and problems with its new technology. The Navy said in a statement Thursday that the USS Gerald R. Ford is scheduled to cruise into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday from its base in Norfolk, Virginia. The Ford’s carrier strike group will join warships from other NATO countries that include France, Germany and Sweden. The ships will train and perform various exercises together, such as anti-submarine warfare. The exercises between the NATO nations comes at a time of increasing Russian aggression as it continues to wage a war against Ukraine.