Maintaining positive relationships and strengthening ties with host nations is an essential part of any deployed naval vessel’s mission. Sailors assigned to the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) volunteered their time at a community relations event at Park-šuma Marjan in Split, Croatia, June 28, 2023, in support of this mission.

Thirty-two Sailors participated in the park clean-up event, arranged by Gerald R. Ford’s command religious ministries department (CRMD). As part of the volunteer event, the group removed branches and debris, clearing the way on the Put Babe Marte (Path of the Grandmother Marta) trail.

“A primary concern for the managers of Park-šuma Marjan is forest fires,” said Lt. Benjamin Pitre, CRMD’s division officer and one of Gerald R. Ford’s chaplains. “A recent survey counted the presence of several hundred species of plant life, and the park’s managers wish to maintain and expand that number. Our efforts helped to minimize the destructive effect that fires might have on the park’s plant life.”

Often referred to as the “lungs of the city” due to the hundreds of species of plant life, Park-šuma Marjan is also home to an array of historic monuments and cultural institutions.

Projects like this help the command to form strong bonds with the communities that Gerald R. Ford visits.

“Community relations projects provide an opportunity for American Sailors to interact personally with the citizens, both civilian and military, of our allies. Sometimes, we are able to provide a service to the local community of our host nation, and other times, our presence allows for a sharing of culture,” said Pitre. “In either case, both groups learn about the other first-hand, thereby producing personal, cultural, and national bonds that reach beyond international military objectives. Forming these bonds through shared experiences instills in both nations a true allied spirit and friendship.”

Sailors are eager to volunteer at any port Gerald R. Ford pulls into. To date, CRMD has arranged community relations events in each foreign port Gerald R. Ford has visited. Pitre says that Gerald R. Ford Sailors will have more volunteer opportunities to look forward to in future port calls.

“On this deployment, we’ve had 60-90 Sailors in total sign up at each port call,” said Pitre. “Community relations are an integral part of the larger mission for Ford’s deployment.”

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG) is conducting a scheduled deployment in support of interoperability and maritime security. The GRFCSG provides and inherently flexible naval force capable of deploying across combatant commands to meet emerging missions, deter potential adversaries, reassure allies and partners, enhance security and guarantee the free flow of global commerce. In total, the GRFCSG is deployed with more than 6,000 Sailors across all platforms ready to respond globally to combatant commander tasking.

Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. As the first-in-class ship of Ford-class aircraft carriers, CVN 78 represents a generational leap in the U.S. Navy’s capacity to project power on a global scale. Ford-class aircraft carriers introduce 23 new technologies, including EMALS, AAG and Advanced Weapons Elevators. The new systems incorporated onto Ford-class ships are designed to deliver greater lethality, survivability and joint interoperability with a 20% smaller crew than a Nimitz-class carrier, paving the way forward for naval aviation.

For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/ and follow along on Facebook: @USSGeraldRFord, Instagram: @cvn78_grford, Twitter: @Warship_78, DVIDS www.dvids.net/CVN78 and LinkedIn at USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).