The USS Washington is about to pull out of the Middle East, while the USS Roosevelt hasn't even arrived yet but is already preparing for overtime.
Naval personnel aboard the USS Washington might be relieved they won’t have to work extra hours, but those on the USS Roosevelt are not so fortunate.
On the 26th, the U.S. Naval Institute website reported that the Pentagon plans to redeploy the USS Roosevelt to the Middle East to replace the recently arrived USS Washington, continuing the maritime blockade mission against Iran.
As to the reason for this carrier swap, although the U.S. Naval Institute website did not elaborate, considering that the USS Washington was deployed earlier this year and its original operational area was the Asia-Pacific region, it is highly likely that the Pentagon is bringing in the USS Roosevelt to relieve the Washington so that the latter can return to the Asia-Pacific region—filling the gap left by the U.S. military’s reduced carrier presence there—while also scheduling a port visit for maintenance.
In this regard, U.S. Navy Secretary Daryl Caudle stated that, from a mathematical standpoint, the U.S. needs more forces in the Western Pacific to “deter China.” However, if forward-deployed forces are insufficient, he must step in to reallocate resources.
Additionally, noteworthy is the statement by U.S. Navy Master Chief John Perryman, who said the deployment duration for the USS Roosevelt will exceed seven months—the standard U.S. aircraft carrier deployment cycle being six months—meaning the Roosevelt crew must prepare for overtime even before setting sail.
U.S. Navy Secretary Caudle claimed he personally opposes extended deployments of aircraft carriers, but his opposition carries little weight because “the enemy also has a say”—an indirect admission that the current situation in the Middle East is no longer entirely within U.S. control.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874661043878921/
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