On Thursday, August 20, 2026, the US military confirmed that the aircraft carrier “USS George Washington” arrived in the Middle East on Wednesday, August 19, to take over the deployment work from the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on social media platform X on Thursday, stating, “The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group arrived in the CENTCOM theater yesterday and is currently carrying out scheduled deployment missions in the Middle East.”
A photo released by the US Central Command showed sailors operating on the flight deck of the Washington carrier, as the carrier was crossing the Arabian Sea.
The Lincoln departed from California in November 2025 en route to the South China Sea, and was dispatched to the Middle East in February 2026 to carry out military operations against Iran. The deployment, originally scheduled to end in May, has been extended multiple times. So far, the Lincoln aircraft carrier has been deployed at sea for over 270 days, with over 200 days spent operating in the Iran region.
There were previous reports of some Lincoln carrier crew experiencing mental health issues, raising concerns among members of Congress and military families.
In response to media reports, the US Navy and the Secretary of Defense acknowledged that long-term operational deployments put significant stress on young service members. However, these soldiers demonstrated American military strength and resilience by successfully completing deployment missions.
Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao stated in a release that during the Lincoln carrier’s deployment, over 10,000 flight missions were conducted, along with the release of 1.5 million pounds of ammunition. Additionally, the retention rate of personnel on the carrier ranked among the highest in the entire fleet.
A US official told CNN last week that the Washington carrier visited a Vietnamese port on August 5 before heading to the Middle East, adding that the carrier swap was pre-planned. The report mentioned that with the Washington carrier moved to the Middle East, there will be no aircraft carriers in the Pacific region from the US fleet.