The Asia-based USS George Washington aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of mental health struggles and supply shortages aboard the warship supporting the Iran conflict. U.S. Central Command confirmed Thursday that the carrier arrived in the region on Wednesday. It remains unclear when the USS Lincoln will return to the U.S. or if it will make a port stop during the journey, which takes slightly over a month. The Washington joins the USS George H.W. Bush in the Middle East, leaving Asia without an American carrier strike group as China shows increasing signs of aggression. While the lack of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if another deploys in the coming months, analysts say these open-ended operations with Iran are exhausting sailors while the Trump administration retreats further from the Asia-Pacific region to concentrate on the Western Hemisphere. USS Lincoln’s replacement arrives after outcry over onboard conditions
