American commitment to Iran war stretches Pacific presence thin

The war against Iran is beginning to stretch the limits of Washington’s aircraft carrier fleet, with the latest deployment leaving the western Pacific without one of the key American warships at a time of rising tensions and growing Chinese pressure in the region. The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and is expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed carrier.

The Lincoln’s deployment has been extended beyond its original May return date to support US operations against Iran.

According to analysts, the absence of a US aircraft carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another carrier to the region within the next couple of months. However, the situation highlights the strain that open-ended operations against Iran are placing on American sailors, as noted by the Korea Times.

The development also comes as the Trump administration further shifts its focus away from the Asia-Pacific region and toward the Western Hemisphere.

Beijing views the US military presence in the region as a threat to its influence and ambitions, the article argues. While the temporary absence of an American carrier is unlikely to prompt China to suddenly undertake risky military action, including against Taiwan, it could provide Beijing with an opportunity to demonstrate its growing military strength, according to Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner and defence analyst at the Hudson Institute.

“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,” Clark said. “They would just prefer that countries in the region decide that China is the bigger power and the US is not able to guarantee their security anymore.”

China conducted naval exercises with Indonesia this week and has recently shown signs of increased assertiveness toward Japan and the Philippines, two key US allies that also have territorial disputes with Beijing.

China also carried out military drills this month near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Both China and the Philippines claim the shoal. Last month, a Chinese guided-missile destroyer conducted a live-fire exercise off Japan’s southernmost island of Okinotori.

Diminishing American shield of protection

Adm. Frank Bradley, head of the US Special Operations Command, has sought to reassure regional allies of Washington’s commitment.

Bradley was in Manila this week, where he told his Filipino counterparts that US special operations forces are prepared to step up joint exercises aimed at strengthening the countries’ alliance. He is also expected to travel to Japan.

Evan Sankey, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute who focuses on US policy toward China, said aircraft carriers provide psychological reassurance to American allies.

The absence of carriers in the region, he said, “adds to the general sense that the US is distracted by events in the Middle East.”

Challenging role for aircraft carriers in modern wars

President Donald Trump has relied heavily on aircraft carriers to support military operations during his second term.

For example, the USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in mid-May after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, during which it supported US operations against Iran and the capture of Venezuela’s then-leader, Nicolás Maduro.

Clark said the Navy has 11 aircraft carriers and typically deploys two or three at a time. The fleet could soon have four carriers deployed if the USS Theodore Roosevelt leaves San Diego for the Middle East, potentially allowing the George Washington to return to the Pacific.

However, the massive warships will also require maintenance, potentially creating a bottleneck at the nation’s only two carrier shipyards.

Michael Swaine, a senior research fellow in the Quincy Institute’s East Asia Program, questioned whether aircraft carriers will continue to play such a central role as the nature of warfare changes rapidly.

Carriers can be more easily targeted by drones and missiles, particularly by an adversary such as China, Swaine said. Smaller ships and submarines, meanwhile, can also be effective at striking targets without relying on fighter aircraft launched from a carrier.

Top Navy officials have indicated that they want to reduce the military’s heavy reliance on aircraft carriers.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, told the AP outlet back in February that he wants to convince commanders to use smaller, newer ships and other assets instead of consistently turning to massive aircraft carriers.

By Nazrin Sadigova