USS George Washington Departs Pacific, Begins Middle East Operations

The U.S. Central Command announced on the 20th (local time) that the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which departed the Pacific, has arrived in the Middle East and is conducting operations.

In a post on X earlier in the day, the Central Command stated, "The USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Central Command area of responsibility yesterday and is carrying out missions in the Middle East."

The Central Command also shared a photo showing crew members clearing the flight deck aboard the USS George Washington as it sails through the Arabian Sea.

The USS George Washington replaces the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was previously deployed to the Middle East.

Recently, controversy arose regarding service conditions on the USS Lincoln due to extended deployment, as it had been carrying out operations for nine months.

With the relocation of the USS George Washington to the Middle East, there is currently an absence of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Asia-Pacific region.

Concerns are also emerging that the U.S. security commitment to allies in the Indo-Pacific region may be weakening, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to significantly scale back South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

(Photo: Capture from U.S. Central Command X, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.