US Navy Deploys George Washington as Iran War Continues
The USS George Washington has deployed to the Strait of Hormuz as the United States continues a conflict with Iran marked by tanker strikes and crew strain.
The United States Navy has deployed the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to the Strait of Hormuz to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been at sea since November 2025. The deployment is part of a broader war with Iran that began in February with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes. Tensions escalated in September after the U.S. military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for an Iranian attack on a Navy warship.
The conflict has caused over 3,000 deaths, including at least 19 American service members, and has disrupted global oil supplies by closing the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. returned to Pearl Harbor after a 10-month deployment in the Indian Ocean, where it provided air defense for the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group against Iranian drones and missiles.
Internal reports indicate significant strain on personnel. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed that eight sailors within the carrier group attempted suicide during the mission, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed reports of deteriorating morale as misrepresenting reality. Although President Donald Trump has suggested the conflict would end soon, the USS George Washington's mission currently has no defined end date. The Iranian government has condemned U.S. actions, stating that insecurity in the strait is the direct result of aggressive actions by the United States and Israel.
