USS Theodore Roosevelt being deployed to Middle East

USS Theodore Roosevelt being deployed to Middle East

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is expected to sail to the Middle East in the coming weeks to relieve another aircraft carrier as the U.S. military in the region continues to enforce the naval blockade in the Arabian Sea.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group will depart San Diego and join the other U.S. warships in the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) theater for an over-seven-month deployment to relieve USS George Washington, the USNI News reported .

The U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesperson told The Hill on Thursday that it is the Navy’s policy not to “discuss future operations or movements due to operations security.”

“ We’ve been in conflict pretty much the whole time I’ve been in the seat, and that’s certainly stressed the force,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m trying to work with my chain of command to put the extension process in a way that gives more certainty for planning … If we know we’re going into harm’s way, we should be able to project with a little bit more fidelity how long the carrier and the strike group is going to stay on station.”

“ We do these extensions in little chunks , and the families don’t see any endpoint so they can plan their own lives,” Caudle added. “That creates a lot of stress for sailors.”

The USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class carrier, arrived in the Middle East last week, replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln, whose deployment has come under scrutiny over recent news media reports of rough conditions onboard and worsening mental health of some sailors.

The Abraham Lincoln is now sailing to Thailand for a port call.

The U.S. military has had at least one aircraft carrier in the Centcom region since President Trump kickstarted the U.S. war with Iran in late February.

More than 20 U.S. warships are enforcing the blockade in the Arabian Sea.

Since resuming the naval blockade last month, the U.S. military has redirected 75 commercial vessels , disabled 3 and boarded two 2 to ensure compliance with the effort, Centcom said in an update on Thursday.

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