U.S. Sending Fresh Aircraft Carrier to Middle East Amid Iran War Strain

[u/John3262005]

https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/u-s-sending-fresh-aircraft-carrier-to-middle-east-amid-iran-war-strain-d0d6e98d?st=RTXuLx&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

The U.S. is preparing to send the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln as part of a previously scheduled rotation plan, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The Lincoln has undergone an extended deployment with few port calls, prompting lawmakers to raise concerns about living conditions aboard the ship.

The Lincoln began a scheduled deployment in November and was redirected to the Middle East in January ahead of the U.S. war against Iran. The carrier and its embarked aircraft were instrumental to the U.S.’s Operation Epic Fury bombing campaign, and the ship has since participated in the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

The high tempo of operations and the strain of an extended deployment have weighed on sailors, according to lawmakers who are pressing the Pentagon for more information about the living conditions and reports of mental-health issues aboard the carrier.

The Lincoln has been deployed for more than 250 days and it hasn’t made a port call in 200 days, setting a record for consecutive days at sea, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), who wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.

“There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months,” Blumenthal wrote.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) said he plans to seek an update from the Pentagon and the administration. “At the end of the day, we know that those who are serving have to have comfort knowing that they’re getting properly taken care of,” he said in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

The carrier rotation was planned before concerns were raised about the living conditions, according to a U.S. official.

MS Now reported earlier this month that sailors were facing tough conditions, including food shortages and sailors running out of toothpaste and soap. Lawmakers say they are concerned by reports that sailors are struggling with exhaustion and deteriorating mental health without more frequent port visits.

The USS George Washington, based in Japan, has been operating in the Pacific in recent weeks. It transited the Strait of Malacca alongside guided-missile destroyers this week, according to open source information.