OAN Staff Sophia Flores
2:35 PM – Friday, May 15, 2026
To ring in the conclusion of an 11-month deployment to sea, the U.S. Pentagon confirmed that War Secretary Pete Hegseth will attend the homecoming to welcome troops back to America.
On Friday, in an immediate release advisory, the Department of War revealed that Hegseth will travel to Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, “to welcome home the nearly 4,500 sailors of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group” on Saturday, May 16th.
The returning ships include the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), and the USS Mahan (DDG 72).
The War Secretary took to X to confirm the news, writing, “It will be my honor.”
The vessels spent 11 months across highly volatile waters in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Red Sea. It was the longest post-Vietnam War aircraft carrier deployment in U.S. history, clocking over 320 days at sea.
The USS Gerald R. Ford was originally deployed to the Mediterranean Sea.
However, it was later rerouted to the Caribbean Sea to support operations in Venezuela. While there, it spearheaded Operation Southern Spear, which culminated in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, before returning to the Middle East in February.
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