The American aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). (Credit: US Navy website)
The U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington, previously deployed in the Pacific, is headed to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 250 days and is engaged in the war led by the United States against Iran, according to the American daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Associated Press (AP).
This relief comes as several U.S. lawmakers express concern about the living conditions aboard the USS Lincoln, which has gone months without a port call, and, more broadly, about the strain the conflict is putting on crew members and the U.S. Navy's capacities.
The USS George Washington, based in Japan and operating in the South China Sea in recent weeks, left Da Nang, Vietnam, last week. Accompanied by a cruiser and a destroyer, it has since passed through the Singapore Strait and as of Thursday was in the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans, according to a U.S. Navy official cited by AP.
The USS George Washington will thus be one of two American aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East, alongside the USS George Bush, which is in the Arabian Sea with the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, according to information from the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) last July. In May, the USS Gerald Ford left the Mediterranean, a departure that reduced American military capabilities in the Middle East.
Commissioned in 1992, the USS George Washington is a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Measuring 333 meters long and 78 meters wide, it has a displacement of nearly 99,000 tons at full load and can accommodate more than 6,000 crew members. Its flight deck, covering about 18,000 square meters, allows the ship to carry several dozen aircraft, making it a true floating airbase capable of conducting operations far from U.S. territory.
More than 250 days deployed for the USS Lincoln
The rotation between the USS Lincoln and the USS Washington had been scheduled before concerns about conditions aboard the Lincoln became public, one of the U.S. officials interviewed told the WSJ.
The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, as part of a planned deployment before being redirected to the Middle East in January 2026, ahead of the start of the American war against Iran on Feb. 28. Its embarked aircraft played a key role in the U.S. bombing campaign "Epic Fury" before the carrier participated in the blockade imposed by Washington on Iranian ports, according to the American daily. The ship has now been deployed for more than 250 days and has not made a port call for about 200 days, a record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
This situation is raising mounting questions in Congress. In a letter sent Wednesday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Blumenthal reported information about "widespread shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deterioration of mental health, concerns about safety on deck, and interruptions in the postal system."
The U.S. Navy acknowledged that the conflict had caused shortages and problems with mail delivery but said it had not observed an increase in mental health issues or suicide attempts aboard the Lincoln. Pete Hegseth also denied reports Thursday about poor conditions onboard.
An American fleet under pressure
Beyond the situation aboard the Lincoln, its relief highlights the difficulties the U.S. Navy faces in maintaining a significant naval presence in the Middle East over time. While aircraft carriers can remain at sea for long periods, they normally make port calls to resupply, conduct certain maintenance operations, and allow rest for crews.
The movement of the George Washington is all the more noteworthy because the carrier is usually based in Yokosuka, Japan, and operates in a region that has become a priority for Washington amid China's growing power. Its departure for the Middle East will temporarily leave a gap in the Pacific, where Beijing is also deploying its own aircraft carriers, WSJ and AP note.
The U.S. Navy has eleven aircraft carriers in active service, which require significant maintenance periods after deployments. According to Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer and researcher at the Hudson Institute, the consequences of operations related to the war against Iran could require up to three years before the fleet returns to its optimal level of readiness.
