10/20/2026
This Friday… Wear R.E.D. “Remember EVERYONE Deployed”.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is the only US aircraft carrier currently operating in East Asia, having arrived in Yokosuka, Japan on October 16, 2026.
The carrier strike group is preparing to participate in the joint US-Japan military exercise Keen Sword 27. This deployment is particularly notable because it marks the first time in US Navy history that a carrier strike group has deployed alongside an autonomous drone ship, the Leidos Seahawk medium unmanned surface vessel.
The arrival of the USS Theodore Roosevelt ends a brief period where the Western Pacific had no active US aircraft carriers. USS George Washington (CVN-73): The Navy's primary forward-deployed carrier in Japan left Asia in August 2026 and is currently operating in the Arabian Sea to support Middle East operations.
USS George Washington (CVN-73): Normally forward-deployed to Japan, this Nimitz-class supercarrier was dispatched to the Middle East in August 2026 to take over responsibilities from the USS Abraham Lincoln. Its Carrier Air Wing 5 includes F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters alongside standard carrier strike elements.
The USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is currently operating in the Arabian Sea under the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The supercarrier returned to the Middle East theater in mid-October 2026 after a brief rest-and-recreation port call in Phuket, Thailand. The carrier strike group is actively supporting the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iran. This includes monitoring regional waters, intercepting uncompliant vessels, and restricting maritime traffic linked to Iranian ports.
