Despite the planned firepower, defense officials emphasize that the deployments are still in advanced planning stages and no final decision has been made. Some of the assets may be used to replace forces worn down by long months at sea, such as the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which recently returned from a particularly grueling deployment.
The carrier Lincoln docked in Thailand after a full 286 days without a real shore leave stop, the vast majority spent at the heart of a burning combat zone facing Iran. Published photographs clearly showed dark rust stains adorning the giant hull alongside a thick green ring of algae at the waterline, silent physical testimony to nine and a half months of continuous stay at open sea without proper maritime maintenance.
The enormous pressure and prolonged separation from home took a heavy psychological toll on the crew. Eight sailors stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln or its escort ships attempted suicide during the nine-month Middle East deployment, Navy Acting Secretary Hoang Cao confirmed in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. One sailor jumped from the ship in early August and was rescued by helicopter, and another sailor attempted to jump from the ship in March but was stopped by fellow crew members.
Nonetheless, this planned deployment represents an unprecedented show of force demonstrating Washington's determination to keep all options open as the midterm congressional elections draw closer.
