USS George Washington Departs Yokosuka as 2 U.S. Carrier Strike Groups Operate in Arabian Sea
Updated
Updated · USNI News · May 26
USS George Washington Departs Yokosuka as 2 U.S. Carrier Strike Groups Operate in Arabian Sea
3 articles · Updated · USNI News · May 26
USS George Washington left Yokosuka, Japan, on Saturday, marking the latest movement in the U.S. Navy’s global carrier deployment picture as of May 26.
The update places the carrier in the Philippine Sea while the Navy keeps heavier combat power concentrated farther west, with the Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush strike groups both operating in the Arabian Sea.
That Arabian Sea posture is backed by numerous independently deployed warships in the wider CENTCOM region, including destroyers, littoral combat ships, the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and two mine countermeasure ships sent from Japan.
Elsewhere, carrier USS Nimitz is operating in the Caribbean during Southern Seas 2026 while heading around South America to Virginia ahead of eventual decommissioning, underscoring how multiple U.S. naval formations are moving across theaters at once.
Why is the fifty-year-old USS Nimitz circumnavigating the globe instead of heading for retirement?
Is the Navy's new anti-mine tech ready for a real-world test against Iran's forces?
Are two US carriers off Iran a show of strength or a massive strategic gamble?