USS George Washington replaces USS Abraham Lincoln in Middle East operations

The U.S. Navy’s carrier USS George Washington reached the Middle East on Wednesday, relieving the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on a continuous deployment of more than 250 days. The change follows reports of crew stress, mental-health challenges and shortages of food and hygiene supplies aboard the Lincoln while it supported operations related to the Iran conflict.

U.S. Central Command announced the arrival on social media, noting that the Lincoln’s return to the United States could take just over a month, though a port stop has not been confirmed. Several Democratic members of Congress have asked the Defense Department for accountability regarding conditions on the ship. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier reports were “completely misrepresented.”

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, visited the Lincoln and later praised the crew’s performance, saying they “delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home.” He also highlighted the carrier’s leadership for focusing on mental health and resilience, adding that the deployment will be recorded as “one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era.”

President Donald Trump downplayed the reports, describing the nearly nine-month deployment as a “good period of time” and stating that the ship is “beautifully maintained and beautifully taken care of,” based on a conversation with a retired admiral. The USS George Washington joins the carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the region, leaving Asia without an American carrier strike group as tensions with China rise.