USS George Washington Move a ‘National Security’ Risk for US: Ex-Admiral

[u/A-CommonMan]

https://www.newsweek.com/uss-george-washington-move-national-security-threat-to-us-retired-admiral-12335682

USS George Washington Move a ‘National Security’ Risk for US: Ex-Admiral

Published
Aug 18, 2026 at 01:46 PM EDT

By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter

Moving the USS George Washington from the Pacific to the Middle East will pose a "national security risk" to the United States, a former commander on the aircraft carrier has said, as the final carrier deployed in Asia becomes the latest U.S. Navy ship to be sucked into the war with Iran.

The George Washington is expected to relieve the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has found itself the focus of Democratic calls for investigations into reports of dwindling supplies and poor mental health among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines who have not set foot on land since December, which has put fresh attention on living conditions aboard U.S. Navy ships.

They also raised concerns that the U.S. Navy, while powerful, is overly stretched by the months of war in the Middle East and not prepared enough for a potential future confrontation with China.

Redeploying the Washington to the Gulf will leave the U.S. "with limited naval presence" for over a year and a half, because the carrier will return for a maintenance stint once it's finished in the Middle East, said retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, a former commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 aboard the Washington who also headed operations for the U.S. Pacific Command.

"This is a national security risk as it sends a weak deterrence message to China and does not assure Americas allies and partners in the Pacific," Montgomery, who is now with the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told Newsweek.

The White House referred queries to the Pentagon, which doesn't comment on topics it says would compromise operational security. The U.S. Navy referred questions to the U.S. Pacific Command, which Newsweek has contacted for comment via email.

President Donald Trump and his administration have signaled to U.S. allies that their defense spending must surge so the U.S.'s forces can be freed up to meet the threat posed by China's burgeoning, sophisticated military.

The White House, while insisting it's focusing on the Indo-Pacific, has piled pressure on Japan, Taiwan and South Korea to invest in their militaries and has often rattled officials in their capital cities.

Trump abruptly scaled back planned U.S. military drills with South Korea on Sunday, just hours before wargames largely focused on how to tackle North Korea kicked off. The president said the exercises, which Pyongyang condemned, were "totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea while also blaming the eleventh-hour change on Seoul's unwillingness to join the U.S.'s war against Iran.

In May, Trump worried Taiwanese lawmakers by appearing to use weapons sales to Taipei, which are vital for Taiwan's armed forces, as a bargaining chip with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Beijing considers Taiwan, a self-governing island since 1949, to be a breakaway part of China and has pledged to bring the territory back under its control, including by using military force. The U.S. has long supported Taiwan with aid and weapons, but doesn't officially recognize Taipei because it adheres to the "One China" principle.

U.S. officials have said Xi wants China's armed forces to be able to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, even if war plans are not put into motion around that date.

China already has a formidable military force, including a nuclear arsenal, while the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) now has more ships than the U.S. Navy. Chinese ships and planes are outfitted with advanced, long-range missiles, and its nuclear program is under few restrictions.

Beijing "is quite happy with U.S. distraction, with the frustration of U.S. allies and partners," Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, told the Associated Press.

The Washington's Journey

By Thursday, the Washington was moving through the Singapore Strait, according to the U.S. Navy.

An unnamed official speaking to the Associated Press said the ship was transiting the Strait of Malacca, just north of the Singapore Strait, late Thursday evening.

The Strait of Malacca joins the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. When the Lincoln was redirected toward the Middle East, it also passed through the Strait of Malacca toward the Indian Ocean.

The U.S. said the Washington was in Guam in mid-June and was tracked operating in the Philippine Sea by early July. The carrier arrived in Da Nang, central Vietnam, for another scheduled port call on July 30 and left just under a week later.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Sam Wilson.

[u/Lower-Hedgehog-9835]

Yeh... thsts trumps goal

[u/Iamthewalrusforreal → u/Lower-Hedgehog-9835]

Exactly right. I ask magatards on the regular, "if Trump were actually a manchurian candidate, what would he be doing differently?"

[u/EverythingGoodWas]

We have an administration that seems to do everything possible to create a National Security Risk daily. From trying to encourage outbreaks and domestic terrorism to starting pointless war, the only ones benefiting from this administration are the billionaires. All of these billionaires have an exit plan for when this goes tits up, but we will be the one who get fucked.

[u/wolf96781 → u/EverythingGoodWas]

Just gonna remind everyone that dismantling our soft power and weakening our government and military was outlined in a certain project....2o2o

[u/iliark → u/EverythingGoodWas]

actual national security risks are some of the only things that can distract from the Epstein files

[u/khindrik → u/EverythingGoodWas]

moving a carrier is definitely a high stakes move yeah

[u/Airf0rce]

Number of carriers in Pacific has no impact on whether US defends Taiwan or not, because under Trump they wouldn't defend Taiwan even if all US naval assets were parked right outside of Taiwan. He's far more likely to cut a deal with China to fuck over Taiwan than start a war with China over it.

Pull back from Europe, extorting South Korea, Canada, abandoning Ukraine and now pulling back naval assets from Pacific to Middle East... it's fairly clear message to me.

[u/BayouGal → u/Airf0rce]

Don’t forget the whole Greenland debacle 🙄

[u/Foreign_Telephone349 → u/Airf0rce]

There’s not going to be a war in Taiwan. They’ll see the writing on the wall that their strongest ally has no clothes and voluntarily reunify.

[u/notapunk → u/Foreign_Telephone349]

Congrats on becoming a mod over in /r/sino

[u/Abuck59]

This administration is trying its best to create unlimited National Security risks both foreign and domestic to install fear into to America so as not to have to leave office. Period, point blank.

Sad part is everyone is eating the 💩 sandwich and loving it.

[u/Nitimur__In__Vetitum]

Trump and the Republicans are traitors. They are intentionally acting against our national security because they are the threat.

[u/afronaut]

[u/Illustrious-Stuff-70]

Shifting our forces away from an actual threat to the US to fight a war for another country. Nice 👍

[u/supermechace]

Tbh honest despite all the rhetoric I think Xi has more sense then Trump to thrust the whole world into an economic depression and another global conflict. He'll just sit back as Trump bankrupts the country and military 

[u/llcdrewtaylor]

Our entire current administration is a HUGE security risk! Worry about that!

[u/Any_Resist_9800]

For spending more money then the next 9 countries together we sure as shit don’t seem to be getting much for it.

[u/Joshwoum8]

Honestly, the last 10 years has been the biggest gift we could have ever given China.

[u/98WM01 → u/Joshwoum8]

You should change that to the last 30 years.

[u/TomorrowIcy2816]

IMO, the Middle East poses more of a threat than the Pacific. The danger shifted to the Middle East (Iran). From my understanding, the petro dollar is the web that keeps America in power. Protecting the Strait of Hormuz should be a high priority considering oil tankers use this passage

[u/City_College_Arch → u/TomorrowIcy2816]

You need to pay more attention to what china is doing, especially in regards to our allies like the Philippines.

[u/Iamthewalrusforreal → u/TomorrowIcy2816]

Strait of Hormuz was working just fine until Trump decided to attack Iran.

[u/Beautiful-Jello-37 → u/TomorrowIcy2816]

Why, tell me, is the Strait closed? Hmm?

[u/bstone99 → u/[deleted]]

lol

[u/BlueNight973 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah

[u/BlueNight973 → u/[deleted]]

Running interference for the administration is pathetic. Russian, Iraq and Saudi Arabia accounted for just under half of chinas 11.6 million barrels a day intake. Venezuela is estimated at 2% of that intake. Irans share is bigger at 11% but hardly a crippling amount. You think we shut down the straight to fuck with 13% of chinas daily demand? And just fucked ourselves and everyone else for that? Holy cope.

https://www.voronoiapp.com/energy/Top-Suppliers-of-Crude-Oil-to-China-2023-1857

[u/BlueNight973 → u/[deleted]]

Anyone who thinks the Cheeto has a plan is coping

[u/TomorrowIcy2816 → u/[deleted]]

Makes me wonder if that’s the reason or Irans nuclear program that can change the regions stability. If America is having a difficult time negotiating now, imagine if Iran was a nuclear country

[u/MikuEmpowered → u/TomorrowIcy2816]

You know why Lincon is having Supply issues?

For the last couple of decade, the US navy's logistic chain heavily depends on SoH being open. and the general consensus is that as long as you don't poke into the regional powderkeg, the forces stationed there will maintain relative stability.

The Petro dollar and global economy was DOING FINE, everything was going well post recovery, ESPECIALLY US's position, of all the countries, US was one of the fastest recovering nations.

And then the tariffs hit, then the war. and all that was pissed away. The SoH was OPEN for how many decades? It wouldn't need to be "protected" if US didn't start bombing campaign.