A new US Navy carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the military confirmed on Thursday. The group’s arrival comes amid growing concerns about another aircraft carrier that has been on extended deployment in the region.
US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said that the George Washington Carrier Strike Group is now operating in the region as part of a scheduled deployment, adding that it arrived on Wednesday.
The strike group is led by the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington, the Navy’s only carrier that is permanently forward-deployed to Japan.
CENTCOM did not identify the warships traveling with the carrier, though the Navy disclosed earlier this month that the George Washington made a port visit in Vietnam with Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup.
The George Washington’s departure from Japan has left the Navy without an aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific, despite US efforts to counter China’s military presence in the region.
The George Washington is expected to replace the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for more than 270 days on an extended deployment supporting combat operations against Iran.
Reports have emerged this month detailing mental health struggles and supply issues aboard the Lincoln, home to roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines. Multiple reports have featured families of sailors expressing serious concerns about deteriorating living conditions and the overall well-being of the ship’s crew. Some sailors are said to have attempted to go overboard.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has sharply criticized media reporting on the Lincoln, calling the media “shameless” and “reckless” and accusing outlets of intentionally misrepresenting conditions on the ship. President Donald Trump also dismissed the reported concerns. He said last Friday that the Lincoln is “being replaced with another very similar ship.”
Hung Cao, the acting Navy secretary, said last week that the Lincoln “crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation.”
“Details will come but let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first,” Cao said in a statement that praised the Lincoln’s crew while also acknowledging some of the challenges they’ve faced during the deployment.
A CENTCOM spokesperson declined to say if the Lincoln was still in the Middle East, but fleet trackers had it in the region as of Monday.
With its arrival in the region, the George Washington joins the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and other warships, including the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer.
The US and Iran have not traded strikes in weeks. American forces, however, are still enforcing a naval blockade on maritime traffic leaving or entering Iranian ports as negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue to stall.
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