The USS George Washington set sail for the Middle East from the Pacific Ocean to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on continuous deployment for more than 260 days and is facing reports of a mental health crisis and deteriorating conditions onboard, as reported by the U.S. Navy this Friday.
The Lincoln departed from the naval base in San Diego on November 21, 2025, with an expected deployment of seven months, but it was extended twice.
He arrived in the Middle East in January 2026, weeks before the start of the war against Iran, and since then he has operated without stopping in port for more than 200 consecutive days, an unprecedented record according to Democratic lawmakers.
Among the most serious details that emerged in the press are accounts from families who claim that two sailors attempted to throw themselves overboard during the extended deployment.
The Navy acknowledged in a statement that the conflict created "an extremely complicated environment in which traditional supply centers in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions," resulting in shortages of basic goods and loss of mail on board.
The statement clarified that "leadership prioritized critical supplies for the mission: first food, then hygiene items, and after that, mail," and assured that the sailors currently have access to clean water and "healthy meal options."
The Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed the reports on Thursday, calling them "completely distorted."
This Friday, President Donald Trump denied that the families of the sailors were worried. "No, they are not worried," he responded to a journalist who asked him about it, before a trip to the state of New York.
When asked if the deployment had been excessively long, Trump was categorical: "No, no, no. It has been far from too long."
The president confirmed, however, that the Lincoln "is being moved, or will be moved very soon, and will be replaced by a very similar ship," referring to the George Washington.
The USS George Washington departed from the port of Da Nang, Vietnam, on August 5 and at the time of reporting was navigating the Strait of Malacca, accompanied by a cruiser and a destroyer, headed towards the Indian Ocean.
His transfer to the Middle East will temporarily leave the waters of the Pacific without the presence of a U.S. aircraft carrier, raising strategic concerns regarding China.
Several Democratic lawmakers have demanded accountability from the Pentagon. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a formal letter last Tuesday to Hegseth and to the acting Secretary of the Navy, Hung Cao.
"The prolonged deployment of the Lincoln is particularly significant because it occurs in the context of ongoing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial U.S. naval forces will be needed in the region for an extended period," Blumenthal wrote.
Although direct hostilities between Washington and Tehran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy reinstated a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz in July. Hegseth stated that the United States can maintain it "indefinitely," while the Trump administration has not provided clarity on how it intends to resolve the conflict.
The Lincoln has a particular connection to Cuba: in May 2026, Trump threatened to send that same aircraft carrier 100 yards off the Cuban coast once operations in Iran were concluded, a threat that Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla dismissed, stating that Cuba "does not allow itself to be intimidated." That threat never materialized: the ship is now returning to U.S. territory after more than eight months at sea.
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