USS George Washington Arrives in Middle East as USS Lincoln Heads Home

A new U.S. aircraft carrier has moved into the Middle East as the USS Abraham Lincoln begins its trip home after an extended deployment. The change comes after months of reports about exhaustion, supply problems and mental health concerns among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln.

The USS George Washington reached the Arabian Sea on Aug. 19, according to U.S. Central Command. The military released images from the carrier showing activity aboard the ship as it entered the region. The George Washington is expected to operate with other U.S. warships involved in military operations against Iran.

Before arriving in the Middle East, the George Washington had been deployed in the Western Pacific and is based in Japan. Moving the carrier means the U.S. is currently without an aircraft carrier strike group in the Western Pacific. The George Washington joins the USS George H.W. Bush, giving the U.S. two aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East.

The Lincoln began leaving the region on Aug. 20 for the long journey back to San Diego. Pentagon officials have said the switch was already planned and is part of a normal rotation between the carriers. Its departure still comes at a time when conditions aboard the Lincoln have received increasing public attention.

The Lincoln left San Diego in November 2025 and initially operated near Venezuela. Its mission changed after the U.S. and Israel began their war with Iran on Feb. 28, sending the carrier and its crew into the Middle East. The deployment was originally expected to finish in May, but the ship remained at sea as the fighting continued.

That extra time became difficult for some of the people aboard. The Lincoln eventually set a U.S. naval record for the longest deployment without a port stop, while Navy Times and Stars and Stripes reported on exhaustion and declining morale among crew members. The outlets also reported suicide attempts aboard the carrier, and families of service members described the mental strain of the deployment.

Concerns were not limited to mental health. Reports described shortages involving food and hygiene products, along with water, plumbing and maintenance problems. There were also complaints about mail delays that prevented some sailors from receiving packages from home for months.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, raised several of those issues in an Aug. 12 letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Blumenthal referred to reports of contaminated water, shortages of basic supplies, plumbing trouble, deck safety concerns and worsening mental health. He also questioned problems with the mail system and care packages that had been delayed or lost while being sent to the ship.

Some Democratic lawmakers have asked the Navy and Pentagon for more information about what happened aboard the Lincoln. Hegseth has disputed the reports and said they “completely misrepresented” conditions on the carrier. President Donald Trump also rejected concerns about the length of the deployment when he was questioned by a reporter last week, saying it was “not nearly long enough.”

Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, visited the Lincoln on Aug. 15 and spoke with sailors and officers aboard the carrier. Cooper later said some of the problems receiving attention had happened months earlier and had already been addressed by leadership. He specifically pointed to concerns involving food and hot water as issues that had been resolved.

During his visit, Cooper also told the crew that they would finally be returning home. The Lincoln is now making its way back to the United States while the George Washington takes over duties in the region, where U.S. military operations involving Iran are continuing.

The carrier change comes as U.S. forces remain active around the Strait of Hormuz. A Central Command spokesperson said the military had helped 1,300 ships travel through the waterway and also confirmed that the Lincoln had begun its return to the United States.

Image is in the public domain and was created by by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro.