US Navy’s newest carrier deploys to train with NATO nations

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier has embarked on its first-ever deployment. The U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford will train with other NATO countries amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Ford left the world’s largest Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, on Tuesday. It headed out to sea with destroyers and other ships that make up its carrier strike group. They’ll join vessels from countries that include France and Germany in the Atlantic Ocean for exercises such as anti-submarine warfare. The exercises come seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine and during a time of increasing tension between Moscow and the West.