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The US Navy’s next aircraft carrier set to deploy will be carrying extra supplies so it can remain self-sufficient for longer, top service officials said on Tuesday, a move intended to address logistics issues that have surfaced on other ships during the Iran war.
USS Theodore Roosevelt is preparing to depart from its home port of San Diego in the coming weeks. Navy leadership said the aircraft carrier is incorporating lessons learned from others that participated in combat operations against Iran this year.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, said the Roosevelt is “putting those lessons into action” using what the Navy learned from aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford.
“That starts with logistics,” Caudle said in a video address, explaining that “Roosevelt is maximizing its loadout of food, retail products, and hygiene items before getting underway.”
Speaking next to him in the video, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said that the vessel’s crew “is converting available spaces into additional storage, building the ability to remain self-sufficient for longer periods, especially when resupply may be difficult.”
Both the Ford and Lincoln endured lengthy, extended deployments in the Middle East, supporting combat operations against Iran. Ford spent a post-Cold War record-breaking 326 days at sea; Lincoln, already at more than 280 days, is still on its way home after a stop in Thailand.
Reports emerged last month detailing supply issues aboard Lincoln, with families expressing concern over the living conditions and the well-being of the crew, some 5,000 sailors and Marines. Multiple reports indicated that key logistics centers had been affected by the war, straining Navy crews. Democratic lawmakers have pressed the Pentagon for answers.
While peacetime carrier deployments may be six or seven months, demands can be higher during periods of conflict. Roosevelt, which is expected to sail into the Middle East, could experience a lengthy deployment as the US-Iran war shows no end in sight.
Caudle said in the video that the Navy is “also focused on quality of life. That means new entertainment equipment on the mess decks, more durable fitness equipment, spare cardio machines ready for our placement, and even holiday materials purchased ahead of time.”
He added that there are also efforts underway to provide families with “reliable, consistent communication throughout the deployment.” These were some complaints, especially during the Lincoln’s deployment, that had a reported impact on crew morale.
The Navy has around 20 warships in the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier strike groups and an amphibious ready group. These vessels have carried out the US military’s blockade of Iran’s ports, which began in April, among other missions. US forces have restricted the passage of Iranian commercial vessels, turning them away from port.
In some instances while enforcing these navigation restrictions, the Navy has disabled non-compliant vessels, shooting out the engines and rudders of Iranian boats that have ignored warnings. Navy warships have also been involved in removing Iranian mines placed in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The US war with Iran is in its sixth month, and both sides continue to trade strikes. On Tuesday, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched drone and missile attacks on multiple sites in Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities, sparking fresh concerns that the conflict could expand further across the Middle East.
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