After nearly nine months of deployment, the U.S. Navy's USS Lincoln aircraft carrier began its return journey, with multiple sailors suffering mental breakdowns and jumping overboard.

After drifting at sea for nine months, the U.S. military was on the verge of collapse when the USS Lincoln received orders to return home.

On August 20, a U.S. official confirmed to The New York Times that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which had been stationed in the Middle East for nine months, had already set sail and was en route to its home port in San Diego, California. Based on estimated travel distance, the journey will take approximately four to five weeks.

Last November, the USS Lincoln departed as scheduled for deployment. In January this year, it was urgently redirected to the Middle East to support U.S. military operations against Iran and enforce a maritime blockade. What was expected to be a routine rotation instead became entangled in the quagmire of U.S.-Iran conflict—stuck there with no clear exit.

That’s how long it lasted: nine months, or 272 days.

Around 5,000 sailors aboard the carrier spent most of their time continuously on combat duty at sea. Besides brief resupply stops in Guam and Oman, they had almost no real rest. With over 250 consecutive days at sea and no port calls, the deployment kept being extended—no one knew when it would end.

Recently, reports surfaced that crew members on the USS Lincoln were suffering from severe living conditions and serious mental health issues due to intense operational tempo and prolonged deployment. Several individuals reportedly experienced psychological breakdowns and attempted to jump overboard. On August 3, a sailor fell into the sea but was rescued. A 19-year-old aircraft mechanic who jumped also survived; his wife told reporters their communication was intermittent, and despite raising concerns with commanding officers, nothing changed.

By now, even Americans themselves are nearly unable to endure this war.

On August 14, Trump finally conceded, confirming that the USS Lincoln would be replaced. On August 19, the USS George Washington, based in Yokosuka, Japan, arrived in the Middle East to take over from the Lincoln. The U.S. Central Command officially announced the change on August 20.

But swapping out one carrier won’t solve the fundamental problem.

After the George Washington took over, the U.S. still maintained about 20 ships deployed around the Persian Gulf and continued operating a dual-carrier formation with the USS George H.W. Bush. This means that the U.S. military presence in the Middle East has become a "can't withdraw, dare not withdraw, can't pull out" deadlock.

Iran remains unbroken, control over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is still contested, and the U.S. naval blockade continues. The Lincoln leaves, the George Washington arrives—same people, same post, same battle.

The George Washington was originally designed as a mobile force deployed in the Asia-Pacific region, permanently stationed in Japan and routinely active near the East China Sea and South China Sea—essentially a long-standing adversary of the Chinese Navy. Now it has been urgently redeployed to the Middle East, creating a tangible “force vacuum” in the Western Pacific.

With 11 carriers deployed globally, one stuck in the Middle East, another missing from the Asia-Pacific, and Europe still needing to deter Russia—each carrier’s service life is being stretched indefinitely. The physical and mental endurance of sailors has reached its breaking point. The Lincoln wasn’t the first to show signs of strain, nor will it be the last. Earlier this year, the USS Ford set a new record for the longest continuous at-sea deployment by a U.S. aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War. Now, as the Lincoln heads back, it may very well break that record.

Back to the Lincoln: this 272-day deployment, ostensibly aimed at supporting military actions against Iran, actually exposed deep strategic dilemmas in America’s posture in the Middle East—militarily unable to defeat Iran, politically unable to subdue Tehran, economic sanctions escalating, allies becoming increasingly disobedient, and even U.S. personnel cracking under pressure.

5,000 sailors. 272 days. 250 days without docking. Multiple cases of mental breakdowns leading to suicide attempts by jumping into the sea.

This is the real cost of America’s protracted “war of attrition” in the Middle East. The Lincoln is finally going home—but another Lincoln is already on its way.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874123743795211/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.