Overview

• The U.S. carrier strike group started multinational training on Monday after transiting the English Channel on Sunday.
• The Ford shifted from the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar and around the Iberian Peninsula before heading north.
• The nuclear-powered ship embarks Carrier Air Wing 8 and features EMALS and AAG, with capacity for about 90 aircraft and a crew of roughly 4,500.
• Escorts from the U.S. Navy’s 2nd Destroyer Squadron and replenishment ships such as Supply and William McLean provide sustainment, while officials have not disclosed the planned duration.
• The move coincides with increased Russian naval activity and preparations for Sapad 2025, as Germany stations Eurofighter jets in Poland to bolster air policing.