WASHINGTON — The USS George Washington aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East to replace a similar vessel, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has faced scrutiny over conditions and declining morale amid extended deployment during the war in Iran.
The U.S. Central Command said the USS George Washington entered the Arabian Sea on Aug. 19, posting on X photos of sailors working on the vessel's flight deck andOsprey helicopters taking off from the ship. The vessel is expected to be part of a larger armada of U.S. warships carrying out military operations against Iran.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a question from USA TODAY on the timing of the USS Lincoln's return.
The USS Lincoln's
planned exit follows reporting from two military-focused outlets, the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, on suicide attempts aboard the ship, exhaustion among the crew of 5,000 sailors and sharply declining morale. The Pentagon, however, has said the move is part of a previously planned rotation.
![The U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington transits the Strait of Malacca August 13, 2026. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Anthony Vilardi/Handout via REUTERS.]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/08/20/USAT/91387978007-20260819-t-143107-z-71025016-rc-2-vxmaqm-9-su-rtrmadp-3-irancrisisusacarrier.JPG)
The 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln have been at sea since November 2025 and have supported the U.S. war in Iran for the past eight months. Their deployment was originally anticipated to end in May, but no date has since been set for their return, with no end in sight to the war.
Sen. Richard Blumental, D-Connecticut, in an Aug. 12 letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the Lincoln's conditions, cited "widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months."
President Donald Trump last week dismissed concerns that family members of service members on the ship have raised publicly. Asked by a reporter whether the deployment of the ship's sailors has gone too long amid the war in Iran, Trump responded: "No, not nearly long enough." Hegseth has said the reports "completely misrepresented" the reality on the ship.
Adm. Brad Cooper, who serves as head of the U.S. Central Command, wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed that he visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Aug. 15, and in an address to the vessels sailors, told them: "You have delivered a performance for the ages, and now you are going home.”
"Recent media reporting has portrayed varying perspectives on operational tempo, crew morale and the realities facing our deployed forces. What I found aboard the Lincoln is that many elements of those stories are old news," Cooper said. He added that "issues related to food, hot water and other concerns raised months ago were addressed by leadership and resolved."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USS George Washington arrives in Middle East to replace vessel under scrutiny
