NewzThe Washington arrived as concerns have grown about the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment, which has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 250 days. US media quoted relatives of crew members saying living conditions had deteriorated on the USS Abraham Lincoln and there were also reports of several suicide attempts. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Asia-based USS George Washington aircraft carrier is now operating in the Middle East, the U.S.
military said Thursday, relieving a long-deployed carrier following reports of mental health challenges and supply shortages aboard while it was supporting the Iran war. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said on social media that the carrier arrived in the region Wednesday. It was not clear when the USS Abraham Lincoln would arrive back in the U.S.
or whether it would make a port stop along the way, but the journey takes just over a month. Several Democratic lawmakers have pressed the Department of Defense for accountability over conditions aboard the Lincoln, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said were “completely misrepresented.” Hegseth spoke with the Lincoln’s crew last week, and Adm. Central Command, visited this past weekend.
In an editorial published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, Cooper said the crew “delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home.” Extended deployments of carriers wear on service members who are away from home for long periods and increase strain on the ship and its equipment. While renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran calmed in recent weeks, the Navy is enforcing a reimposed blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war.
can maintain the blockade “indefinitely.” President Donald Trump this week downplayed reports about conditions on the Lincoln, which left its homeport in San Diego in November and arrived in the Middle East in January. Trump called the nearly nine months at sea that the sailors endured a “good period of time” but added that “over the years, we’ve had them out there much longer.” Trump told reporters Monday that he spoke with a retired admiral over the weekend who recounted being on ships for “much longer.” Trump said the admiral assured him that the Lincoln is “beautifully maintained a… The update comes just days after media reports on grim conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed to the Middle East since November 2025.
(EPA Images pic)WASHINGTON: A new US aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the US military announced Thursday, after conditions aboard a long-deployed carrier provoked fresh criticism of President Donald Trump's war against Iran."The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Middle East during a scheduled deployment after arriving in the CENTCOM theatre yesterday," Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said in a post on X.The update comes just days after media reports on grim conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier – deployed since November 2025 – had created an unwelcome distraction for Trump in his attempt to sell the already unpopular war.Several outlets, including specialist military publications, quoted relatives of crew members as saying that living conditions had deteriorated on the Lincoln, with food shortages and broken plumbing.Notably, there have been reports of several suicide attempts.Trump dismissed the concerns but confirmed another carrier would swap out with the Lincoln.The Japan-based USS George Washington had been operating in the Pacific.Its transfer means there is no longer any US aircraft carrier in that region – a boon for assertive China.The Lincoln had departed California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began in late February. Vessel expected to replace USS Lincoln after reports of dire conditions on board raised questions over US war planning.
Summary from source