US to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln, leaving Pacific without carrier

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US President Donald Trump dismissed reports of poor living conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, escalating a fight in Washington over the aircraft carrier’s record 260-plus-day stretch at sea.
Multiple sailors have reportedly attempted to jump overboard during the deployment, which was extended to support the Iran war.
The US’ top Middle East commander visited the vessel as the military prepared to replace it with the USS George Washington — a rotation that leaves the US without a carrier in the Pacific, signaling “the exact opposite” of Washington’s stated goal of pulling out of the Middle East and refocusing efforts in Asia, a CSIS expert told The Associated Press.
The Pentagon’s policy chief visited Southeast Asia last week to address concerns about Washington’s reliability.

document fetched 2026-08-17 06:41 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/08/16/2026/us-leaves-pacific-without-aircraft-carrier