New US Aircraft Carrier Deploys in North Atlantic Ocean
2022-10-06
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1The United States' newest aircraft carrier is now on its first deployment to train with allies in the Atlantic.
2The move comes during a time of increased tensions around the world.
3The aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, began its deployment in the North Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday as the lead ship in a carrier strike group.
4An aircraft carrier is a huge ship that serves as an air base at sea.
5The strike group includes six ships from NATO countries, several U.S. warships and a submarine.
6"We're going to use the entire Atlantic as our playpen," said Navy Captain Paul Lanzilotta. He is the ship's commanding officer.
7The Navy calls the carrier "America's biggest and baddest warship."
8It has about 20 new technologies and a completely redesigned flight deck, the area where planes take off and land.
9The ship is able to launch 30 percent more flights than other U.S. carriers.
10The nuclear-powered carrier also has a new radar system.
11The USS Ford is the world's largest warship.
12It weighs about 112,000 tons.
13Nimitz-class carriers are the next-largest, weighing 12,000 fewer tons.
14However, because of better design and technology, the USS Ford requires about 600 fewer sailors to operate than the Nimitz-class carriers.
15The USS Ford is the first ship in the new "Ford class" of aircraft carriers.
16It is the first new class of aircraft carrier in more than 45 years.
17The lead ship of the Nimitz-class carriers, the USS Nimitz, is expected to be retired in the coming months.
18The launch of the USS Ford was delayed for years and went billions of dollars over budget.
19The ship's current carrier strike group also includes forces from Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain.
20It is the largest partnership in the Atlantic Ocean since World War II, the U.S. Navy said.
21Lanzilotta said the North Atlantic deployment will help the group prepare for longer deployments that will begin next year.
22The group will be carrying out several military exercises in the North Atlantic, said Vice Admiral Dan Dwyer.
23He is the commander of the U.S. Second Fleet, which operates in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.
24Dwyer said, "we can no longer assume that geography provides us with the protection...that we've had in the past."
25The deployment comes seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
26And it comes weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for 300,000 additional troops to replace heavy losses.
27While the war in Ukraine has hurt Russia's ground forces, its navy remains unweakened by the fight, said Bruce Jones.
28He is a professor at Stanford University and the director of the Brookings Institution's Project on International Order and Strategy.
29"We saw a substantial increase in Russian naval activity in the lead-up to the Ukraine crisis in the Arctic ... so the North Atlantic is a very important place where we're going to end up having to deter Russia," he told VOA.
30Jones said the possible damage to the Nord Stream oil pipelines in the Baltic Sea is an example of the kind of operation that Russia's naval forces might conduct.
31"Arguably, we're in a more dangerous period, because Russia may well be looking to escalate beyond Ukraine as the situation in Ukraine gets worse," he said.
32I'm Dan Novak.
1The United States' newest aircraft carrier is now on its first deployment to train with allies in the Atlantic. The move comes during a time of increased tensions around the world. 2The aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, began its deployment in the North Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday as the lead ship in a carrier strike group. 3An aircraft carrier is a huge ship that serves as an air base at sea. 4The strike group includes six ships from NATO countries, several U.S. warships and a submarine. 5"We're going to use the entire Atlantic as our playpen," said Navy Captain Paul Lanzilotta. He is the ship's commanding officer. 6The Navy calls the carrier "America's biggest and baddest warship." It has about 20 new technologies and a completely redesigned flight deck, the area where planes take off and land. The ship is able to launch 30 percent more flights than other U.S. carriers. The nuclear-powered carrier also has a new radar system. 7The USS Ford is the world's largest warship. It weighs about 112,000 tons. Nimitz-class carriers are the next-largest, weighing 12,000 fewer tons. However, because of better design and technology, the USS Ford requires about 600 fewer sailors to operate than the Nimitz-class carriers. 8The USS Ford is the first ship in the new "Ford class" of aircraft carriers. It is the first new class of aircraft carrier in more than 45 years. The lead ship of the Nimitz-class carriers, the USS Nimitz, is expected to be retired in the coming months. The launch of the USS Ford was delayed for years and went billions of dollars over budget. 9The ship's current carrier strike group also includes forces from Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain. It is the largest partnership in the Atlantic Ocean since World War II, the U.S. Navy said. 10Lanzilotta said the North Atlantic deployment will help the group prepare for longer deployments that will begin next year. The group will be carrying out several military exercises in the North Atlantic, said Vice Admiral Dan Dwyer. He is the commander of the U.S. Second Fleet, which operates in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. 11Dwyer said, "we can no longer assume that geography provides us with the protection...that we've had in the past." 12The deployment comes seven months after Russia invaded Ukraine. And it comes weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin called for 300,000 additional troops to replace heavy losses. 13While the war in Ukraine has hurt Russia's ground forces, its navy remains unweakened by the fight, said Bruce Jones. He is a professor at Stanford University and the director of the Brookings Institution's Project on International Order and Strategy. 14"We saw a substantial increase in Russian naval activity in the lead-up to the Ukraine crisis in the Arctic ... so the North Atlantic is a very important place where we're going to end up having to deter Russia," he told VOA. 15Jones said the possible damage to the Nord Stream oil pipelines in the Baltic Sea is an example of the kind of operation that Russia's naval forces might conduct. 16"Arguably, we're in a more dangerous period, because Russia may well be looking to escalate beyond Ukraine as the situation in Ukraine gets worse," he said. 17I'm Dan Novak. 18Carla Babb reported this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for Learning English. 19_______________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21playpen - n. a place where someone can do what they want 22assume - v. to think that something is true, or probably true, without know it 23geography - n. an area of study dealing with the position of places on the Earth 24substantial -adj. large in amount or number 25deter - v. to cause a person or group to decide not to do something 26escalate - v. to become worse or more severe than it already is