The Navy is moving another aircraft carrier toward the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after its deployment stretched beyond eight months and reports of dire conditions aboard the vessel have emerged.The USS George Washington, the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, was traveling west from the Pacific and was spotted moving through the Strait of Malacca, according to ship tracking data posted to social media and multiple reports. The route puts the carrier on a path toward the Indian Ocean and eventually the Middle East.The George Washington left Da Nang, Vietnam, last week following a port visit and is meant to relieve the Abraham Lincoln. The carrier is based in Yokosuka, Japan, and typically operates in the western Pacific.
Its movement comes as the Lincoln nears nine months on deployment as the war with Iran continues, an unusually long stretch that has drawn criticism for the effect on service members and the conditions aboard the ship. The San Diego-based carrier departed its home port in November and arrived in the Middle East in January, before the Iran conflict ignited.The Lincoln has played a central role in U.S. military operations in the region, including Operation Epic Fury and efforts to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The carrier has remained at sea for more than 250 days and has gone roughly 200 days without a port call.Service members have reported to their families about a severe lack of supplies, including no fresh food such as fruits and vegetables, according to text messages published by MeidasTouch News.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has attempted to quell reports of spartan-like conditions and poor morale aboard the vessel. Hegseth told Newsmanx that his department works to ensure “every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment.”NAVY ADMITS ‘SIGNIFICANT STRAIN’ ON DEPLOYED SERVICE MEMBERS AFTER REPORTS OF WORSENING MENTAL HEALTH“I want them home as soon as everybody else,” Hegseth said. “I want folks rotated as quickly as possible. I want the best for them. My commanders know that, our service secretaries know that, the president expects that.”The George Washington is a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class carrier that can accommodate over 6,000 service members.
