Austin meets with sailors on US carrier in Mediterranean near Israel

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the USS Gerald R. Ford on Wednesday, making a stop to meet with U.S. service members at the aircraft carrier ship during his trip to the Middle East.

Austin met with crew on the aircraft carrier — home to some 4,000 sailors — and thanked them for sacrificing their time during the holidays to keep the peace across the Middle East.

“In a moment of huge tension in the region, you all have been the linchpin of preventing a wider regional conflict,” Austin said.

The USS Ford was sent to the eastern Mediterranean along with the USS Eisenhower after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, sparking an all-out war.

The aircraft carriers are stationed there, along with other U.S. assets, to deter any actors from sparking a wider conflict in the Middle East region as Israel continues its mission to dismantle Hamas in Gaza.

The Ford, which is just a few hundred miles from the coast of Israel, acts as a deterrence because aircraft could quickly assist Israel if needed. Among the threats Israel faces is Hezbollah, the militant group in Lebanon that has been trading daily fire with Israeli forces.

Austin told the sailors on Wednesday that if Israel winds down its military operation to a lower intensity, it might ease the tensions that have placed the Ford there.

Austin visited Israel on Monday, where he said he discussed Israel moving to a new phase in the war in Gaza. He also traveled to Qatar on Tuesday and is planning a stop in Bahrain.

The visit to the Ford had been planned. A U.S. official said before the trip that the Pentagon chief wanted to visit families during the holidays.

“They are missing the holidays with their families, and they have done an incredible service — not only for our country, but for the region,” the official said.

The Associated Press contributed.