US pulls last aircraft carrier in Pacific as Trump focuses on Iran, Western Hemisphere

The US is withdrawing its last aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, from the Pacific to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, which has been extended due to operations against Iran. This leaves the western Pacific without a US carrier, a situation analysts attribute to the strain of prolonged operations against Iran and a shift in US focus towards the Western Hemisphere. This move has unsettled American allies in the Pacific, with experts like Greg Poling noting, "The administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere." China, which views the US military presence as a threat, may capitalize on this absence to assert its influence, as Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute states, "They're using this as part of the narrative to demonstrate to the Philippines, to Japan, to Indonesia and others that the US is not the big dog in the western Pacific anymore." The heavy reliance on aircraft carriers for extended deployments has led to concerns about crew well-being and potential maintenance backlogs, raising questions about the sustainability of current naval strategy and the future role of carriers in modern warfare.