USS George Washington heads toward the Middle East as Lincoln stays on station

WASHINGTON - The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East, the Associated Press reported, as one of two U.S. carriers now operating in the region continues a long deployment.

Navy statements and open-source tracking show the George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, was later seen crossing the Singapore Strait. U.S. Naval Institute News said the Japan-based group, including cruiser USS Robert Smalls and destroyer USS Shoup, was in the Strait of Malacca after a westbound transit.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the George Washington is expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln as one of the two aircraft carriers stationed in the Middle East. The Lincoln has been operating in the Arabian Sea region for months in support of U.S. operations tied to the Iran conflict.

Some news outlets reported concerns about crew conditions on the Lincoln, including supply issues and sailor fatigue. U.S. Central Command publicly disputed several of those claims. CENTCOM said the Abraham Lincoln has maintained high reenlistment rates, that no service members had died aboard the ship, and that a sailor who fell overboard on Aug. 3 was recovered.

USNI News noted the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group has been in the Arabian Sea since January and that the deployment is nearing nine months. The George Washington group left Yokosuka, Japan, in May for its first patrol of 2026.

Carrier rotations are routine for the Navy, but the timing draws attention because two carriers have been kept in the theater while U.S. forces remain engaged. Officials have not released a public schedule for when the Lincoln will leave station.

Senators from both parties have also sought more information about conditions and tempo for crews on long Middle East deployments, according to separate Capitol Hill reporting.