Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The USS George Washington has started moving towards the Middle East, according to US Navy statements and open-source tracking of the aircraft carrier. Its movement comes as concerns grow over mental health and supply problems aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been on a long deployment in the region during the war with Iran.
The Lincoln is one of two US aircraft carriers currently stationed in the Middle East as the conflict continues and the Navy maintains a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for the global oil and natural gas trade. The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that the George Washington would replace the Lincoln.
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The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, the Navy said. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, was later spotted crossing the Singapore Strait. A Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive ship movements, confirmed that the George Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which connects the Pacific and Indian oceans, putting it on course for the Indian Ocean.
The Lincoln began its deployment from San Diego on November 21 and reached the region in January, before the Iran war began on February 28. The Navy said the conflict created a “highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions”. It said this led to shortages and the loss of mail aboard the carrier.
“Leadership prioritised mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” the Navy said, adding that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and “healthy meal options”.
Several Democratic lawmakers have issued statements seeking investigations, more information and greater visibility into conditions aboard the USS Lincoln. In a letter to Navy leadership, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal wrote: “The Lincoln’s prolonged deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of continuing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial US naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period.”
Navy leaders, including acting Secretary Hung Cao, last week held a tense town hall for families of the USS Lincoln. At the meeting, commanders of the Navy’s air and surface forces said they would do everything they could to relieve the carrier. MS Now had earlier reported on the meeting.
When reports of food shortages aboard the ship emerged in April, the Navy rejected them as “false”. Concerns over morale have also surfaced on other carriers. The USS Gerald R Ford returned home in mid-May after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, during which it supported the US war with Iran and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. The George Washington’s movement now signals a likely transition as pressure continues to build over the Lincoln’s extended deployment and conditions on board.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
