![US Navy sailors work on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington as it transits the Arabian Sea during the war with Iran, on Thursday (local time). [Reuters]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/21/rcv.YNA.20260821.PRU20260821022801009_P1.jpg)
The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East on Thursday and began operations, as the USS Abraham Lincoln — deployed to the region for roughly nine months — departed for its home port.
US Central Command said the George Washington Carrier Strike Group arrived in the CENTCOM theater on Thursday and is conducting operations in the Middle East, having departed the Pacific region. CENTCOM announced the deployment in a post on X, along with photos showing sailors clearing the flight deck aboard the Washington as it sailed through the Arabian Sea.
The Washington's deployment rotates in to relieve the Abraham Lincoln, which had been conducting operations in the region.
The Lincoln departed Thursday for its home port of San Diego, California, The New York Times reported.
The Lincoln spent 272 days at sea after leaving San Diego on Nov. 21 last year, with only brief stops — a port call in Guam in December and a resupply in Oman.
The extended deployment drew scrutiny over crew welfare, including reports of attempted suicides among sailors, fueling controversy in recent weeks.
The Lincoln is expected to travel roughly 13,000 miles (about 21,000 kilometers) back to San Diego, a journey The New York Times estimated will take approximately four to five weeks.
With the Washington's move to the Middle East, no US aircraft carrier is currently present in the Asia-Pacific region. The absence, combined with President Donald Trump's directive to sharply scale back joint US-South Korea military exercises, has raised concerns that Washington's security commitments to its Indo-Pacific allies may be weakening.
mokiya@heraldcorp.com
