--- title: "Navy to swap USS Abraham Lincoln for George Washington in the Middle East" description: "The US military reportedly plans to send the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln." date: "2026-08-14" modified: "2026-08-14" authors: - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-abraham-lincoln-george-washington-middle-east/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" --- # Navy to swap USS Abraham Lincoln for George Washington in the Middle East ![USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) conducts U.S. blockade operations in the Arabian Sea, April 16. The ship's embarked carrier air wing includes eight F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18 fighter jets, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D command and control planes, MH-60 helicopters and CMV-22B Ospreys for logistics support. (U.S. Navy photo)]() *The USS Abraham Lincoln conducts blockade operations in the Arabian Sea on April 16. Navy photo.* The U.S. military reportedly plans to [send another aircraft carrier to the Middle East]() to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for nearly nine months. Several media outlets have reported that family members of the ship’s crew are [worried about their loved ones’ morale and mental health.]() [The Wall Street Journal]() first reported that the George Washington, which has been operating in the South China Sea, would replace the Lincoln as part of a scheduled deployment to the Middle East. Task & Purpose has independently confirmed the newspaper's reporting is accurate. No information was immediately available on when the George Washington might arrive in the region to replace the Lincoln. Since [leaving San Diego in November,]() the Lincoln has spent most of its deployment in the [Middle East]() supporting [U.S. military operations against Iran.]() The carrier has [not had a port call since December.]() Several family members of crew members told [MS NOW]() that the Lincoln’s long deployment combined with food shortages and other quality of life issues aboard the ship have [undermined morale](). Families of Lincoln’s crew members also recently told Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao that they are worried that the mental toll on their loved ones has increased the risk that [they could try to harm themselves](). Both [Military Times]() and [Stars and Stripes]() have reported on incidents in which the ship’s sailors have tried to jump overboard during the current deployment. Concerns about the crew’s mental health come after [USA Today reported in April]() about issues with the quality and quantity of food aboard the Lincoln and the amphibious assault ship [USS Tripoli,]() which was also deployed to the Middle East at the time. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle [denied the reporting. ]() Defense officials have similarly disputed more recent media reports about deteriorating morale and mental health among the sailors and Marines assigned to the Lincoln. Navy officials told Task & Purpose that they have “[not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts”]() aboard the Lincoln. U.S. Central Command also wrote in [a Thursday social media post]() that the ship has “maintained among the highest crew reenlistment rates (84.4%) of all aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy.” “No service members aboard the aircraft carrier have died, and the one Sailor who fell overboard Aug. 3 was quickly and safely recovered,” the command wrote in the post. The spouse of one of the ship’s crew members spoke to [We Are the Mighty]() about the operational tempo’s impact on the crew, saying “They just need a break,” adding “There has been no — or very little — release valve for this pressure that has built up over the course of their deployment.” *If you are a currently serving sailor or Marine deployed aboard a ship and are affected by these types of issues, we’d like to hear from you. Please fill out the form below and tell us a bit about what your experience has been like, and anything else you think we need to know.* ## Author Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()