The United States is sending new warships to the Middle East

The United States is preparing to send a new aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid ongoing tensions with Iran. According to the Wall Street Journal, the USS George Washington is being deployed there as part of a scheduled rotation to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln.

USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed at sea for more than 250 days and has not anchored in a port for a record 200 days due to the blockade of Iranian ports and support for US military operations, according to Livemint News and Livesquack.

U.S. lawmakers have expressed deep concern about the quality of life and mental health of the ship's sailors as a result of the long deployment. Other leaders, including Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, raised issues such as shortages of basic supplies on board, contaminated water, plumbing problems and disruptions to the postal system.

However, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outright rejected the allegations, calling reports of sailors' mental health and logistics crisis "totally misrepresented". However, the Navy acknowledged that wartime conditions had disrupted supply routes to the Middle East, causing temporary logistical problems for the ship.

Meanwhile, the new warship 'USS George Washington' has recently left Vietnam's Da Nang and is heading towards the Indian Ocean through the Singapore Strait. The move from the Pacific to the Middle East could temporarily reduce US naval presence in the Asia-Pacific region at a time when the US administration is looking to counter China's influence in the region.