Austin Visits Aircraft Carrier in Eastern Mediterranean

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited the aircraft carrier "Gerald R. Ford" in the eastern Mediterranean on Wednesday, thanking its crew for their role in helping to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East during the war between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which serves as a small floating city with over four thousand people and eight squadrons of aircraft, has become a strong symbol of U.S. determination to support Israel by moving closer to its ally following the attack by Hamas on October 7.