The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East on the 20th (local time) and commenced operations, while the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been deployed to the region for nine months, completed its mission and began its voyage home.

This deployment change comes after reports of mental health issues among the crew and supply shortages were raised during the mission to support the Iran conflict.

Several Democratic lawmakers have pressured the Department of Defense to hold officials accountable for the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the situation had been "completely distorted."

Hegseth spoke with the crew of the Lincoln last week and remarked that the U.S. could maintain its blockade of Iran "indefinitely."

General Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command, visited over the weekend. In a statement, he noted, "History will record this deployment as one of the most high-tempo and consequential deployments of the modern era."

CENTCOM announced that the USS George Washington, which departed the Pacific, has arrived in the Middle East and is currently conducting operations.

In a post on X, CENTCOM stated, "The George Washington Carrier Strike Group arrived in the CENTCOM area of responsibility yesterday and is performing its mission in the Middle East."

CENTCOM also shared photos of crew members clearing the flight deck aboard the USS Washington as it sailed the Arabian Sea.

The USS Abraham Lincoln departed the Middle East today, headed for its home port of San Diego, California.

According to The New York Times (NYT), the Lincoln had been at sea for 272 days since departing San Diego on November 21 of last year, with the exception of a brief port call in Guam and a supply stop in Oman. The deployment recently sparked controversy over service environment issues related to the long duration, including reports of crew members attempting suicide.

The Lincoln is expected to sail approximately 13,000 miles to return to San Diego, a journey the NYT estimates will take four to five weeks.

With the redeployment of the USS Washington to the Middle East, there is currently no U.S. aircraft carrier present in the Asia-Pacific region. Military experts note that this is the first time in decades that the U.S. has not had a single carrier strike group deployed to the Indo-Pacific.

Coupled with President Donald Trump's directive to significantly scale back U.S.-ROK joint military exercises, concerns are being raised about a potential weakening of U.S. security commitments to Indo-Pacific allies. However, the U.S. Navy expects this gap to be temporary, with the USS Theodore Roosevelt projected to redeploy as early as September.

U.S. NNP = Representative Reporter Hong Sung-gu / NNP Special Correspondent info@newsandpost.com