Trump’s War Machine Moves Again as USS George Washington Deploys to the Middle East

The US Navy is rushing a fresh aircraft carrier toward the Middle East as reports surface that sailors aboard its current one have attempted to jump overboard during what’s become the longest continuous carrier deployment in modern American naval history.

The USS George Washington departed a port in Vietnam last week and was tracked crossing the Strait of Malacca en route to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move. The Lincoln has logged more than 260 days at sea and roughly 200 consecutive days without a port call, supporting both offensive operations against Iran and the ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports — far beyond the 30-to-45-day intervals typically expected between carrier port visits.

US officials insist the replacement plan predates the controversy. Officials told the Journal the Washington’s deployment was arranged before lawmakers began publicly raising alarm over Lincoln’s conditions, and Pentagon leadership has pushed back hard on the coverage: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called reports of poor morale “completely misrepresented,” telling Newsmax the department ensures every ship and crew has what it needs. That defense sits uneasily next to NBC News reporting that US military leaders are privately raising concerns inside the Pentagon and White House about low morale and widespread fatigue among troops supporting the Iran campaign — concerns serious enough to reach the White House regardless of the rotation’s original timing.

The specifics reported around Lincoln’s crew go well beyond routine deployment fatigue. Newsweek and other outlets have cited reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard, plumbing failures, supply shortages and deteriorating mental health conditions during a deployment that began in November 2025 and was redirected to the Middle East in January to support what the military calls Operation Epic Fury. Nebraska Representative Don Bacon called the coming replacement overdue, telling Newsweek he remembers how difficult 18-month Army tours in Iraq and Afghanistan were for soldiers — an unusual on-record acknowledgment from a lawmaker that conditions warranted attention regardless of the Pentagon’s official framing.

The swap won’t reduce US naval presence in the region. Washington will join the USS George H.W. Bush, which remains deployed in the Arabian Sea supporting blockade enforcement, meaning two carrier strike groups continue operating against Iran even as one crew rotates out. That underlying strategic posture — sustained dual-carrier pressure on Tehran — hasn’t changed; what’s changed is Washington’s willingness to keep running it on a single overextended crew.

Whether the Lincoln’s replacement resolves the underlying strain or simply passes it to another ship’s crew will depend on how long the standoff with Iran runs — a question this deployment length increase suggests nobody in Washington expects to resolve quickly.