MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

USS Gerald R. Ford Middle East bound

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the largest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the world

The USS Gerald R. Ford will set sail from Norfolk to the Middle East next Tuesday to strengthen Washington's might in the region, a Defense source confirmed Friday. The deployment was considered “routine” and unrelated to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

Joining the Ford will be her strike group, including Carrier Air Wing 8 and destroyers USS Mitscher, USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge, and USS Winston S. Able to carry over 75 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornets, E-2D Hawkeyes, and F-35Cs, plus unmanned systems, the Ford has been designed to require a smaller crew than previous carriers and reduce operating costs.

In the meantime, the USS Nimitz carrier is expediting her journey from the South China Sea to the area to replace the USS Carl Vinson in safeguarding US personnel amid mounting tension.

The Vinson has been engaged in the Middle East since January, targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, and is currently somewhere in the Arabian Sea.

After Israel launched airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13, killing scientists and military leaders, Tehran retaliated with missile strikes, including one on an Israeli hospital.

US President Donald Trump said he would decide on his country's possible direct involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks.