The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East amid mounting reports of mental health and supply shortages aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, logging a record-breaking uninterrupted deployment at sea of more than 260 days.
The USS George Washington departed Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and has since been spotted transiting the Singapore Strait alongside a cruiser and a destroyer.
A Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the Washington was passing through the Strait of Malacca, positioning it for a course into the Indian Ocean toward the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Washington would replace the Lincoln as one of two aircraft carriers currently stationed in the region.
The move is expected to leave Pacific waters temporarily without a U.S. carrier presence for an unknown period of time.
The Navy acknowledged that the Iran conflict created a “highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions,” leading to shortages of food, hygiene items and mail aboard the Lincoln.
“Leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” the Navy said in a statement, adding that sailors now have access to clean water and “healthy meal options.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking during a visit to Panama, dismissed reports of poor conditions aboard the Lincoln as “completely misrepresented,” while expressing gratitude toward the crew for enduring extended service.
“We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said, adding that longer deployments in “austere conditions with less port calls” reflect incredible dedication from sailors.
Hegseth also told reporters that the U.S. can maintain its blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz “indefinitely,” with the Trump administration offering no clarity on winding down the war.
Several Democratic lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon for accountability, citing concerns about the health and welfare of sailors who have been at sea far beyond their original return date of May.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to Navy leadership warning that “the Lincoln’s prolonged deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of continuing military operations against Iran.”
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran, announced on social media that he is seeking to lead a bipartisan delegation on an official oversight visit to the ship, calling the treatment of sailors “not just disgusting; it’s dangerous.”
The Navy stated it has “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” but officials declined to provide supporting data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.
A Navy official confirmed that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off the ship for follow-on care.
U.S. Central Command pushed back against reports of poor conditions, noting that Lincoln’s sailors and Marines have completed more than 10,000 aircraft flights and expended 1.5 million pounds of ordnance during their deployment.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and senior commanders held a tense town hall with families of Lincoln crew members last week, promising to do everything possible to relieve the carrier.
The USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in mid-May after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, during which it also supported the U.S. war with Iran and experienced a fire that left hundreds of sailors temporarily without sleeping quarters.
Concerns about overextended ships and crew predate the Iran conflict, with a series of mishaps involving vessels battling Houthi rebels in Yemen throughout 2024 and 2025, including the USS Harry S. Truman on a longer-than-expected deployment.
