USS George Washington headed to Middle East to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln

By Gary Warner, Stars and Stripes. Published August 13, 2026.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington will be sent to the Arabian Sea to replace USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for more than 250 days.

A Navy official confirmed the move to Stars and Stripes. It was first reported Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.

George Washington, the Navy's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, is based in Japan.

The decision to send Washington to the region was part of a regularly scheduled deployment. The change comes amid reports of sailors aboard Lincoln struggling with the strain of the lengthy deployment, including reports of attempts by some crew members to jump overboard.

Family members of Lincoln sailors have pressed the Pentagon to bring the carrier back to its San Diego homeport.

Washington has been operating in the South China Sea and recently finished a port call in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Lincoln deployed in November and was sent to the Middle East in January ahead of the U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran. The carrier took part in the bombing campaign and blockade of Iranian ports.

The ship has gone about 200 days without a port call. Aircraft carrier crew members normally get port visits every 30 to 45 days, though operational needs can disrupt those plans.

Families of crew members have publicly criticized the Navy, citing what they describe as shortages of food, inadequate air conditioning and other quality-of-life problems. Relatives have also reported widespread exhaustion and poor living conditions aboard the ship.

"We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship," a U.S. official said in a statement. "We take every service member's well-being seriously and have religious, medical and mental health professionals available to assess and address concerns as they arise."

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., raised concerns in a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao. "There have been 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 en route to the ship to be lost in transit for months," Blumenthal wrote.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., said he plans to seek a report from the Pentagon and the Trump administration detailing conditions aboard the ship. "At the end of the day, we know that those who are serving have to have comfort knowing that they're getting properly taken care of," Stutzman said in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that the plan to send Washington to replace Lincoln were already underway before reports the week emerged about morale and living conditions.

The USS George H.W. Bush is also deployed to the Arabian Sea as part of the campaign to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds of ships are bottled up by the conflict.