The U.S. military plans to deploy the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its 5,000 crew members to the Middle East for a period of at least seven months or longer.

According to USNI News, a U.S. naval publication, on the 26th local time, the Roosevelt is set to depart in the coming weeks to relieve the USS George Washington, which is currently operating in the Middle East region.

In connection with this, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman told reporters at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads in Virginia that day, "The crew knows they will be there (in the Middle East) for seven months or longer."

Admiral Daryl Caudle, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, stated, "I prefer a seven-month deployment and strongly oppose extending deployments," while adding, "We also have to consider the enemy's situation," acknowledging the pressure imposed by the war with Iran.

Previously, the USS George Washington arrived in the Middle East on the 20th and commenced operations.

Ahead of the war with Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was deployed to the region in January, has completed its mission and is on its way back home.

This rotational deployment comes amid growing concerns over poor living conditions and mental health issues among crew members due to the prolonged deployment of the Lincoln.

With the USS George Washington, whose home port is Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, moving to the Middle East after conducting operations in the Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific region has been left without a U.S. aircraft carrier.

The redeployment of the George Washington, coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump's directive to significantly scale back South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, has raised concerns in some quarters regarding a security vacuum in Northeast Asia.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)