MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Oct. 12, 2023) An E-2D Hawkeye from the "Bear Aces" of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124 launches from the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Oct. 12, 2023. VAW-124 is deployed aboard the Gerald R. Ford as part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8. Gerald R. Ford is the Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, representing a generational leap in the U.S. Navy's capacity to project power on a global scale. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, at direction of the Secretary of Defense. The U.S. maintains forward-deployed, ready, and postured forces to deter aggression and support security and stability around the world. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer Newsome)