ATLANTIC OCEAN - Secretary of the Navy John Phelan embarked USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12, to observe the strike group’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), Apr. 10-11. The visit was the Secretary's first visit to an operational carrier strike group since becoming the 79th Secretary of the Navy on March 25, 2025.
"There is nothing that compares to the strategic influence that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group delivers to the Commander-in-Chief," said Phelan. "All Americans should be proud of these men and women, whose grit and determination keeps our seas open and our nation safe."
The Secretary joined the strike group during Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX)....
CSSN Nicholas Murphy reflects on the adversity he overcame growing up in a rough Miami neighborhood and his appreciation for the opportunities he's been afforded by the U.S. Navy.
A feature story focusing on Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Gabrielle Jensen and her passion for art that lead for her to illustrate a mural on the USS Gerald R. Ford's hangar bay.
The U.S. Navy is a melting pot of beliefs and practices that reflect the experiences of Sailors across generations. Superstitions, which have been adopted and passed down throughout the Navy’s history, have served as an important means of understanding the dangers and uncertainties of life at sea.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – “Team Factory” of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 returned to their home base Naval Air Station Oceana on January 16, 2024, following an eight-month deployment with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operation.
Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Joseph Mohrmann teaches his son hose-handling techniques in the hangar bay of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during a friends and family day cruise, April 26, 2025. Gerald R. Ford’s friends and family day cruises provide Sailors an opportunity to showcase the carrier strike group’s capabilities and daily life aboard their ship. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gladjimi Balisage)
Carrier Strike Group 12, Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group delivers combat capability from seabed to space, while providing global maneuver capability to the national command authority. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Gladjimi Balisage)
CAPT Rick Burgess, a native of Bellevue, WA, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and was designated a Naval Flight Officer in 1998.
Operational assignments include tours with Fighter Squadron (VF) 31, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72); Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63); and two tours with VFA-103, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS George Washington (CVN 73).
Shore assignments include service as Action Officer in the House Liaison Office, Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA); TOPGUN Instructor with Navy Fighter Weapons School; Strike Fighter Placement Officer (PERS-433B) with Navy Personnel Command (NPC); Branch Chief, Global Missile Defense...
Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, NE. The future President grew up in a close-knit family, excelled scholastically and athletically at South High School in Grand Rapids, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in November 1927.
Ford attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he majored in economics and political science. An extremely gifted athlete, FORD was voted the Wolverine’s most valuable player in 1934, with opportunities to play professional football.
Ford chose the legal profession over a professional football career, graduating with a law degree from Yale in 1941. After the United States entered the war during World War II, Ford received a commission...
