An article summarized by Newsweek:
The U.S. Navy is reportedly preparing to send the USS George Washington to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 260 days. The move comes amid growing concerns about crew morale and conditions aboard the Lincoln, which has made few port calls during its lengthy deployment. The carrier was deployed in November 2025 and later redirected to the Middle East to support Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Reports have raised concerns about declining mental well-being among the Lincoln’s crew, including incidents involving sailors attempting to go overboard. Lawmakers have called for an investigation and criticized the length of the deployment, with Rep. Mike Levin arguing that sailors in their ninth month at sea deserve rest. The Navy, however, said it has not identified an increase in reported suicidal thoughts or attempts aboard the ship and emphasized that medical, mental health and religious personnel are available to support sailors.
The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier commissioned in 1992, can carry roughly 90 aircraft and is normally stationed in the Pacific as the Navy's forward-deployed carrier for the 7th Fleet. Its potential deployment to the Middle East would therefore represent a significant shift of U.S. naval power away from the Indo-Pacific at a time when Washington is also focused on China and North Korea. The carrier recently visited Vietnam and conducted a joint search-and-rescue exercise before potentially heading toward the Middle East.
