AJ
⚡️ Aircraft Carrier replacement arrives allowing the USS Abraham Lincoln to end its voyage
➡️ US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday that the USS George Washington had entered CENTCOM’s area of responsibility in the Middle East and near Iran on Wednesday.
🔹 CENTCOM posted a photo of the USS George Washington’s Deck on X and said: “The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Middle East as part of a pre-planned mission and entered CENTCOM area of responsibility yesterday.”
🔹 Last week, it was reported that the USS George Washington would replace the USS Abraham Lincoln after leaving the Pacific Ocean, as reports emerged about mental health concerns among the 5,000 crew members of the Abraham Lincoln, which US President Donald Trump and other officials rejected as speculations.
🔹 Along with the USS George Washington was the Carrier Strike Group, consisting of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Robert Smalis and the Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Shoup.
🔹 The USS Abraham Lincoln subsequently left the Middle East and begun its give-week journey home to San Diego after a nine-month deployment, stated the NYT.
🔹 According to the report, the Lincoln departed San Diego on November 21 and spent nearly all of its 272-day deployment at sea while supporting US operations against Iran, and now the roughly 5,000 sailors face a 13,000-mile journey home, which is expected to take between four and five weeks.
🔹 The US Navy is maintaining around 20 warships in the region outside the Persian Gulf, including two carrier strike groups and several destroyers, who are enforcing President Trump’s renewed blockade of the Iranian ports.
