USS Washington Arrives in Arabian Sea After Aircraft Carrier Outcry

The USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the US military announced on Thursday. 

The aircraft carrier will replace the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln after apparently deteriorating living conditions on board sparked fresh criticism 

No date has yet been announced for the Lincoln to return to the US.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the Middle East, said yesterday that the USS George Washington had arrived in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday as “part of a scheduled deployment”. 

This shift leaves the US without an aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific, despite Washington’s strategic emphasis on the region.

Last week, the Navy announced that the Lincoln would be rotated back to the US. 

The carrier left its port in San Diego last November and deployed off the coast of Venezuela before being rerouted after the US and Israel launched their war with Iran on February 28.

It set a US naval record for the longest deployment without a port stop. The Lincoln Carries approximately 5,000 sailors and Marines.

The situation gained renewed attention last week amid reports of paltry food and hygiene supplies on board, as well as maintenance issues from the prolonged time at sea.

The families of several sailors and marines on board also detailed the mission’s mental health toll and low morale. 

Military newspapers have reported on food and water shortages, disrupted mail services and plumbing problems.

Several Democratic legislators have charged that the situation is emblematic of the Trump administration’s poor planning for the war, which has turned into a grinding asymmetrical conflict after nearly six months, with no clear end in sight.

Source: Al Jazeera | The Guardian