After operating for several days in the southern Adriatic Sea, the Carrier Strike Group of the USS Gerald Ford (CVN-78) has been operating in the eastern Mediterranean for a few days, east of Crete.
This is evidenced by the two Sikorsky MH-60R (reg. 168117, 168158) that have been flying in the area for several hours and the Grumman C-2A (reg. 162159) that is heading towards the USS Ford from Souda Bay AB.
Despite the presence of numerous units in the area (in addition to the Ford’s Carrier Strike Group, there is a high possibility of the presence of other units, including those from NATO Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 ), the Russian ships of the Mediterranean fleet are all in the port of Tartus.
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is comprised of its flagship and namesake, the Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW 8), Destroyer Squadron Two (DESRON 2), the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61).