U.S. Navy Supercarrier USS Abraham Lincoln Heading To The Middle East

The United States Navy’s USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) has been ordered to head to the Middle East in response to escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. CVN-72, the fifth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, has been operating in the South China Sea and last week conducted live-fire exercises and a replenishment-at-sea as part of its ongoing routine operations.

As previously reported, USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego in late November 2025 with almost no fanfare. Nor did the Department of Defense announce where CVN-72 would be deployed. There was speculation that the carrier would be deployed to either the Indo-Pacific or the Middle East, the regions where USS Nimitz (CVN-68) had operated for much of last fall until her final deployment was completed just before the Christmas holiday.

CVN-68 returned home to Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., in early December, concluding what has been confirmed to be the 50-year-old warship’s final deployment.

Back To The Middle East

It will take about a week for the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to transit from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East. The CSG consists of the supercarrier, with the embarked Carrier Air Wing 9 operating F/A‑18E/F Super Hornets, EA‑18G Growlers, E‑2D Advanced Hawkeyes, and MH‑60R/S Seahawks. The surface combatant element includes the Arleigh Burke‑class guided‑missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111), USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), and USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121). A U.S. Navy fast-attack, nuclear-powered submarine typically operates with a CSG, but its identity usually is not disclosed for operational security.

“While a carrier is not essential for offensive operations, its presence in the Middle East would send a clear signal of deterrence and preparedness to both allies and adversaries,” Army Recognition explained.

Another Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), transited the Persian/Arabian Gulf and is now operating within the United States Central Command area of responsibility.

The United States Navy had maintained a nearly consistent carrier presence in the Middle East following the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 until last September, when USS Nimitz departed the region as the Pentagon refocused on operations in the Caribbean to confront the regime of now deposed Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

Multiple Crisis, Too Few Carriers

The redeployment of CVN-72 from the South China Sea to the Middle East will leave the U.S. Navy spread thin, notably in the Indo-Pacific.

The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed supercarrier, the USS George Washington (CVN-75), returned to her homeport of Yokosuka, Japan, and is now undergoing maintenance that will sideline that carrier until at least summer. USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) returned to Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, in August, following a nine-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific, where she conducted operations in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th Fleet areas. CVN-70 also won’t be able to deploy for several more months.

The U.S. Navy’s second-oldest Nimitz-class supercarrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), or USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-78), the newest and final flattop of the Nimitz class, each departed Norfolk, Va., but are expected to remain in the region, likely to take over for USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which has been operating in the Caribbean since last fall as part of the U.S. military buildup. CVN-78 departed Norfolk in May and has seen her deployment extended, and it is now nearly as long as her 2023-2024 deployment, where she spent a total of 239 days at sea.

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), which departed San Diego in November, will likely assume operations in the eastern Pacific from CVN-72, underscoring the balancing act of carrier deployments. The situation will continue throughout 2026 and into next year, as USS Nimitz will make her final journey to Norfolk for decommissioning this spring, followed by her recycling.

The second Ford-class carrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), is running behind schedule and won’t be commissioned until March 2027, meaning her first deployment will not be until the end of next year, or more likely sometime in 2028.

Even as the Pentagon has pivoted toward renewed great-power competition in the Indo-Pacific, as China has undergone a significant naval buildup and now operates three conventionally powered aircraft carriers, the ongoing crisis in the Middle East has shown that the U.S. can’t ignore the region.