The US Navy’s USS Ford “Takes Over The Mediterranean” With Greek Navy

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

A recently published Navy photograph of the USS Ford on deployment in the Mediterranean refers to the ship as the “largest carrier in the world,” a significant statement which arguably captures the long-sought after Navy sentiment that the Ford class will ultimately usher in a new era in modern maritime warfare. 

The photo does indeed show the large-deck USS Ford, which some have enthusiastically called a “super carrier,” as the ship does enable a 33-percent increase in aircraft sortie rate by virtue of having a much larger deck area and reconfigured island.  By steaming through the Mediterranean with Hellenic warships, the USS Ford not only sends a message of NATO capacity and interoperability but also signals to the world that the US Navy’s Ford-class carriers are “here.” 

The USS Ford is operating on deployment in support of the US Navy’s 6th-Fleet Command, a division which oversees US Naval activity in many parts of Europe. Interestingly, however, by operating in Mediterranean waters near Greece, the USS Ford places itself with an ability to project power into critical parts of the Middle East and even the Black Sea. 

The largest and potentially most relevant element of this likely pertains to networking, meaning the extent to which the USS Ford and its supporting US Navy ships can share sensor data and real-time information with the Hellenic vessels. 

USS Ford is HERE

The operational arrival of the USS Ford is not a moment to soon, as the Navy process was arduous, challenged by delays and heavily criticized by members of Congress for being over cost.  Nevertheless, despite the vicissitudes and struggles associated with its development, the Ford is now operational with an unprecedented measure of next-generation maritime warfare technologies. 

Years ago, Navy developers of the Ford described vigorous efforts to reduce costs and accommodate schedule requirements, while also explaining that as a first-in-class carrier of a new platform, the Ford will incorporate non-recurring engineering and development costs. The Navy also stressed that the increased computer automation means the carrier can operate with 900-fewer crew members than Nimitz carriers and use technological advancement to save as much as $4 billion per ship over the entire service life of Ford carriers. This is to a large extent made possible by breakthroughs in computing which enable mechanical systems to be monitored, regulated and maintained through critical metrics gathered and analyzed automatically by advanced computer algorithms. The reduction in manpower through automation to monitor and maintain ship systems enables the service to save money.