By Ryan Morgan
Contributing Writer
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington officially entered the waters of the Middle East on Wednesday, bringing fresh forces to the region and relief for the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
“The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in Middle East during a scheduled deployment after arriving in the [U.S. Central Command] theater yesterday,” the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a social media post on Thursday.
Washington’s arrival in the region comes as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln faces strain nearly nine months into its current deployment. The Lincoln deployed in November and has been supporting strikes and blockade operations against Iran since they began on Feb. 28.
Recent reports have indicated that family members of deployed sailors on the Lincoln are worried about their mental health conditions and have met with top Navy officials to discuss the stresses they face.
The Navy has acknowledged that the recent fighting in the Middle East has disrupted operations at regional supply hubs, but disputed claims of food shortages and increased suicidal ideation among the Lincoln’s crew.
On Thursday, CENTCOM spokesman Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed that the Lincoln will now return home.
The Washington Carrier Strike Group will be the fourth to cycle through the Middle East amid the fighting with Iran.
The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and its accompanying strike group entered the CENTCOM area of operations in April, replacing the USS Gerald R. Ford and its carrier strike group. The Ford returned to its homeport in May to conclude the longest carrier deployment of the post-Vietnam War era.
Based out of Yokosuka, Japan, the Washington had been sailing in the Western Pacific before crossing into the Indian Ocean earlier this week.
Filling out the Washington’s carrier strike group are the cruiser USS Robert Smalls and destroyers USS Shoup and USS Benfold.
On July 24, the USS Benfold experienced a power failure and had to be towed to the Philippines for repairs. The destroyer returned to sea on Aug. 8, but has yet to rejoin the Washington Carrier Strike Group.
The Navy said that the Benfold will, for now, continue operations in the U.S. Seventh Fleet area of responsibility, which covers the Western Pacific and parts of the Indian Ocean. The waters of the Middle East are the U.S. Fifth Fleet’s area of responsibility.
