The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) from 7th Fleet to 5th Fleet has left the United States with no deployed carriers in the Pacific Ocean, at a time when they are needed most.
The U.S. Navy is facing a shortfall of deployed carriers in the Pacific as the buildup in the Middle East continues. The lack of carriers has left a critical gap in the West Pacific.
The departure of USS Abraham Lincoln coincides with the change in homeport of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) from Yokosuka, Japan to Bremerton, Washington. The Ronald Reagan‘s replacement, the USS George Washington (CVN 73) still in San Diego on a scheduled port visit.
The U.S. Navy’s other Pacific-based carriers are in port or in their maintenance availability period. Out of six carriers in the Pacific, the USS Carl Vinson recently participated in RIMPAC 2024, the USS Nimitz recently completed a six month planned incremental availability period for maintenance, the USS Ronald Reagan recently completed a homeport shift to Naval Base Kitsap, and the USS George Washington will remain in San Diego until the crew and equipment swap from USS Ronald Reagan is complete.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Abraham Lincoln are both deployed in the 5th Fleet area of operations in response to growing possibilities of a major regional conflict in the Middle East. The Roosevelt is nearing its eleventh month of deployment, and the Lincoln cut its 7th Fleet deployment short after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the carrier to the Middle East amid buildups of US forces in the region.
With no U.S. carriers in the Pacific for at least three weeks, the Navy is leaving a critical gap in coverage in a region where standoffs and incidents are common, as seen this week when a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel collided with a Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in the South China Sea near Filipino outposts in the region.
The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense also announced several live fire exercises with precision guided weapons, including a series of tests with PAC-2 and Tien Kung III surface-to-air missiles and Hsiung Feng II-E anti-ship missiles.
Between the Middle East, maintenance periods, and the Indo-Pacific, the US Navy’s carrier fleet is stretched thin trying to uphold a high-demand presence worldwide.
By the end of next month, it is likely that USS George Washington (CVN 73) will be underway in the 7th Fleet as it arrives in Yokosuka as the U.S. Navy’s next forward deployed carrier.
Update as of 08/26/2024 2:00 PM/14:00 UTC
The USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed San Diego, California on August 25th for Yokosuka, Japan. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) are now operating in the 5th Fleet Area of Operations. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the extension of the Roosevelt‘s deployment in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on August 25th, following a large scale preemptive strike conducted on Hezbollah missile forces preparing to launch a major attack on Israel.
