The USS Washington Heads to the Middle East as the U.S. Navy Struggles with Overload

The U.S. Central Command stated on social media on the 20th that the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Central Command area on the 19th and is currently deployed in the Middle East to carry out its mission, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had encountered difficulties.

Jack Alire, Producer at the New York Post: Imagine being stuck at sea for over 200 days, with limited food options, a foul smell everywhere, overflowing toilets, sewage backflow, moldy showers, and severe shortages of supplies like soap and deodorant, while your fellow sailors are on the brink of collapse.

The USS Washington has been deployed in the Middle East

The U.S. Central Command stated on social media on the 20th that the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed in the Middle East to carry out its mission after arriving in the Central Command area on the 19th. With the USS Washington being sent to the Middle East, there are currently no aircraft carriers present in the Western Pacific.

U.S. journalist exposes the USS Washington as "moldy and old"

However, photos released by investigative journalist Seth Harp on social media show that even the USS Washington, which is taking over for the USS Lincoln, has issues of "dirt and disorder." The restroom conditions on the USS Washington are filthy, with toilets that are not functioning properly and some pipes severely corroded. Harp described the USS Washington as "moldy and old" and stated that the current maintenance capabilities of the U.S. Navy for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are severely lacking.

U.S. destroyer "disabled" in the South China Sea for 4 days

Furthermore, on the 17th, it was disclosed that the USS Benfold, one of the members of the USS Washington Carrier Strike Group, lost all power due to a generator failure on July 24 in the South China Sea, drifting at sea for a full 4 days without power.

Reports indicate that after the USS Benfold experienced a complete power loss, approximately 300 sailors on board spent four days with limited drinking water and no access to toilets or air conditioning. After drifting at sea for four days, the USS Benfold was towed to the Philippines. A Navy spokesperson attributed the issue to a generator failure and added that no crew members were injured.

"Personnel exhausted, ships fatigued" Analysts say the U.S. Navy is overwhelmed

In fact, the U.S. Navy's predicament of "personnel exhausted, ships fatigued" has become the norm. Analysts say that global deployment demands, including the situation with Iran, have left the U.S. Navy "overwhelmed."

Former Pentagon official Sadler: I have to say that the current situation of the U.S. Navy is indeed not optimistic; a series of poor decisions and misinvestments over the past decade have led to the current state. We need more ships, but unfortunately, the deployment duration of vessels far exceeds the conventional standard of six months, and the root of this issue lies here. This problem needs to be addressed, but it cannot be solved overnight.