Associated Press
• The Associated Press
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, visited six West Asian nations and the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour. The engagement came amid continuing tensions with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and as the carrier prepares to return.
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Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, visited six West Asian nations and the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea during a 10-day tour. The engagement came amid continuing tensions with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and as the carrier prepares to return.
The Trump administration has withdrawn the last U.S. aircraft carrier stationed in Asia as military demands from the Iran conflict and the Western Hemisphere redirect American naval power. The move leaves the western Pacific without one of the U.S. Navy’s principal symbols and instruments of regional presence.
The Navy is considering a major redesign of its next-generation aircraft carriers to more closely resemble World War II-era warships, a shift driven by President Trump’s preferences. The proposed changes could add billions of dollars to the cost of the carrier fleet.
The US Navy has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, but only three are currently deployed, including two in the Middle East. The USS Abraham Lincoln’s record-breaking deployment has reached its ninth month, underscoring the operational pressure created by limited deployable capacity and maintenance demands.
President Trump has directed the U.S. Navy to restore an older aircraft-carrier launch technology, a reversal expected to cost billions of dollars. The decision would affect the fleet’s approach to launching aircraft and reopen questions about procurement priorities, transition costs and the performance of newer systems.
Boeing personnel hoisted an MQ-25 Stingray prototype aboard the USS Nimitz in June, revealing a potential expansion of the carrier-based drone’s mission beyond aerial refueling. The move suggests the U.S. Navy may be quietly exploring an armed role long suspected but repeatedly denied by the Pentagon.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is preparing to return from the Middle East after a deployment approaching nine months, amid reports of strained living conditions, shortages and mental-health concerns, including a sailor rescued after going overboard. The USS George Washington is heading west as another carrier deployment nears.
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President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Navy to remove the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) from the future USS Doris Miller, the fourth Ford-class carrier, and revert to steam catapults. The decision risks additional cost and schedule delays for the carrier program after years of EMALS development.
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