2 weeks ago
Trump's costly fleet ambitions push overstretched US Navy to limits
The US Navy sails big ships to help protect the country.
Right now, those ships and sailors are very tired.
One aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, stayed at sea for 260 days without stopping at a port.
That is longer than any carrier has ever stayed out before.
The sailors got exhausted, and some had mental-health problems.
Their families were worried and complained about not hearing from them.
So the Navy's leader, Acting Secretary Hung Cao, finally said the carrier could come home.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump wants the Navy to build many new ships, including very expensive battleships.
But the shipyards are already behind schedule, and changing how carriers launch planes could cause new delays.
So the Navy is being asked to do many big things at once.
The USS Abraham Lincoln spent 260 days at sea without a port visit, surpassing the previous record of 204 days set during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao announced the Lincoln will return to port amid concerns over sailor exhaustion and mental health.
Trump's proposed 'Golden Fleet' includes nuclear-powered battleships that the Congressional Budget Office estimates could cost more than $23 billion for the first vessel.
America's shipyards are already struggling with backlogs and delays, and adding another complex nuclear programme could further stretch capacity.
Trump ordered a review of restoring steam-powered catapults on Ford-class carriers, which General Atomics warned could create major cost, scheduling and integration problems.
- Who
- President Donald Trump, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, US Navy sailors and their families, and General Atomics
- What
- The USS Abraham Lincoln returns to port after a record 260 days at sea, while Trump pushes costly plans to expand the fleet and revive older carrier technology, adding strain to an overstretched Navy.
- Where
- United States, with deployments spanning the Pacific, the Caribbean and West Asia
- When
- Recently; the article gives no precise dates, but the Lincoln's record deployment has just ended and the USS Gerald R. Ford finished an 11-month deployment earlier this year.
- Why
- Trump is pushing an ambitious and costly agenda to rapidly expand and reshape the Navy, while shipyards already face backlogs, cost overruns and a shortage of available ships.
Supporters of Trump's Navy agenda
Critics, defence experts and families
Fleet expansion
Supporters of Trump's Navy agenda
Trump wants a dramatic, rapid expansion of the US fleet, including a 'Golden Fleet' of nuclear-powered battleships.
Critics, defence experts and families
America's shipyards already face backlogs and delays; adding another complex nuclear programme could delay both new battleships and vessels the Navy already needs.
Carrier catapult technology
Supporters of Trump's Navy agenda
Trump ordered a review to restore steam-powered catapults on Ford-class carriers, replacing electromagnetic systems.
Critics, defence experts and families
General Atomics says the electromagnetic launch system is about halfway complete and warns that reversing it could create major cost, scheduling and integration problems.
Crew endurance
Supporters of Trump's Navy agenda
The Navy must sustain prolonged global deployments, including record-length carrier missions, to meet its commitments.
Critics, defence experts and families
Families and lawmakers question whether the Navy is asking too much of crews, citing exhaustion, mental-health problems and restricted communication.
Key facts
- Lincoln deployment at sea
- 260 days without a port visit
- Previous deployment record
- 204 days during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Acting Navy Secretary
- Hung Cao
- Golden Fleet battleship cost estimate
- More than $23 billion for the first vessel (Congressional Budget Office)
- USS Gerald R. Ford deployment
- 11 months, operating in the Caribbean and West Asia
- Ford-class launch system
- Electromagnetic system developed by General Atomics, about halfway complete
- USS George Washington
- Reportedly moving from the Pacific toward West Asia to potentially replace the Lincoln
- Lincoln issues reported
- Sailor exhaustion, mental-health problems and restricted calls home due to operational threats
Sources
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