US Sends Last Pacific Carrier To Middle East As Iran War Stretches Navy

The United States is moving its last aircraft carrier in the western Pacific to the Middle East, as President Donald Trump's war with Iran stretches the Navy's carrier fleet and shifts US military attention away from Asia.

According to AP, the USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and is expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose deployment has been extended beyond its original May return date to support operations against Iran. The move will temporarily leave the western Pacific without a US aircraft carrier, although the Navy could deploy another carrier to the region within months.

The decision comes as the Lincoln has spent more than 240 consecutive days at sea, raising concerns about crew fatigue, mental health and supplies. Reports from aboard the carrier described the strain of the prolonged Iran deployment, including the impact of extended time away from home and the operational pressures on sailors.

Middle East Focus

US Central Command said Admiral Brad Cooper, its commander, completed a 10-day Middle East trip on Saturday that included visits to six countries and a US Navy aircraft carrier operating in the Arabian Sea. More than 50,000 US service members are currently operating across the Middle East on various missions.

In a post on X, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the Navy would continue to put its forces where they were needed and emphasised that the carrier's movement was part of meeting operational requirements.

The Lincoln's prolonged deployment has nevertheless intensified concerns over the strain being placed on both sailors and the carrier fleet.

Pacific Gap

The absence of a US carrier could give China an opportunity to demonstrate its military strength in the region, although analysts said there was no expectation that China would move against Taiwan simply because an American carrier had left.

China has recently conducted military activities around the South China Sea and near Japan, while also holding naval exercises with Indonesia, according to AP.

Admiral Frank Bradley, head of US Special Operations Command, sought to reassure regional partners, saying: "We have the ability to project force, the United States, anywhere on the globe." He added that once the Middle East threat had been addressed, Washington would "redeploy and reorient" its forces to wherever they were needed.

The carrier shift therefore reflects the growing strain of the Iran war on the US Navy, while temporarily reducing Washington's visible carrier presence in the Indo-Pacific.