Cdr. John Thompson, USN, the USS Gerald R Ford’s weapons officer or Gun Boss, discusses the new ship’s weapons handling capabilities compared with earlier carriers he’s served on during his three decade career. Col. James “Hondo” Geurts, USAF Ret., the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition invited a small group of reporters to travel aboard Ford on Jan. 27, 2020, as the ship conducted Aircraft Compatibility Testing off the Virginia coast.