U.S. Navy chief says carrier deployments drain Pacific forces

World

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Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters that moving aircraft carriers into Central Command to sustain operations against Iran is reducing the carrier presence available in the Pacific at a time when China is treated as the pacing threat. Theodore Roosevelt is preparing for a likely lengthy Middle East deployment to relieve the Japan-based George Washington, while Ford and Abraham Lincoln have already had unusually long deployments. The navy has maintained an uninterrupted carrier presence in the Arabian Sea since Feb. 28, and leaders say longer rotations, supply strain and morale issues underline a need for a bigger navy.

U.S. navy lacks enough carriers for simultaneous Middle East and Pacific demands