Nicolai Haugsted
Analysts dismantle Russia’s claims after mockery of U.S. aircraft carrier
Maintenance work on the world’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier has become fresh ammunition in the information war between Russia and the West.
Russian state-aligned media has seized on the arrival of USS Gerald R. Ford at a U.S. naval shipyard, portraying the vessel as evidence of what it describes as the decline of American naval power. Analysts in Romania, however, argue the criticism ignores far more serious problems inside Russia’s own fleet.
Russian media mocks U.S. carrier
After completing an exceptionally long deployment, USS Gerald R. Ford returned to Naval Station Norfolk in May before entering Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, this month.
According to the U.S. Navy, the carrier is undergoing “extensive maintenance, repairs and modernization to meet future operational requirements.”
Russian propaganda outlet Vzglyad nevertheless used the occasion to attack the American Navy, writing:
“Today the U.S. Navy is only a pale shadow of what it once was. We are witnessing a slow but systematic deterioration in every aspect of American naval operations.”
Romanian analysts fire back
Defense Romania dismissed the Russian criticism, arguing that Moscow is in no position to ridicule the condition of an American warship while facing long-running problems with its own navy.
The publication noted that Russian commentary focused heavily on USS Gerald R. Ford while ignoring setbacks that have affected Russia’s fleet during the war in Ukraine.
“The Russians mock the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the most expensive and most modern aircraft carrier ever built, calling it a ‘pale shadow of American naval power’ after a fire on board the ship.”
Defense Romania also pointed to issues it says Russian commentators failed to mention, including the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the Black Sea Fleet’s struggles against Ukraine, and the uncertain future of Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov.
A tale of two aircraft carriers
The contrast between the two vessels has become part of the debate.
Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov entered a shipyard in 2017 for a major overhaul intended to restore the carrier to full operational capability. Years later, modernization work has stalled, with reports indicating the project has been suspended for months, leaving the ship’s future uncertain.
USS Gerald R. Ford, meanwhile, entered maintenance only after completing a record-setting operational deployment.
The carrier spent 326 consecutive days at sea during its latest mission, making it the longest operational deployment by a U.S. Navy vessel in roughly half a century. Only USS Midway, which spent 332 days at sea in 1973, and USS Coral Sea, with 329 days in 1965, recorded longer deployments.
Romanian analysts argue those figures offer a broader perspective on the vessel’s operational record, despite Moscow’s attempts to portray its maintenance period as evidence of a weakening U.S. Navy.
