The Navy's chaotic aircraft carrier news cycle
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The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln sails through the Arabian Sea in May. Photo: U.S. Navy/DVIDS
The U.S. Navy is in the throes of a roller-coaster news cycle.
The big picture: In just the past few days and weeks, we have heard:
- Reports of deteriorating conditions on multiple warships, illuminating how difficult at-sea logistics is and how quickly a deadly conflict can fuel online culture wars.
- A call from President Trump to overhaul shipbuilding as well as the physical design of some of America's largest and most expensive vessels.
- The dispatch of the last aircraft carrier in the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East and news of a destroyer stalled in the South China Sea, inspiring obituaries for the "Asia pivot" crowd.
Driving the news: A combination of war, dogged journalism, White House fiats, statements from uniformed and civilian military leadership, X feuds and lawmaker inquiry has kept any sort of summertime news slump at bay.
Here are some of the finer details, plus bits you may have missed:
The USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed for more than 265 days with few port calls in between, "will return home soon," according to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. "Unfortunately," he said in a statement, "the media are trying to paint our warriors as victims."
Several outlets, including the personnel-focused Military Times and Stars and Stripes, reported that distressed service members have tried jumping overboard.
The 5th Fleet publicly denied word that the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, was running low on feminine hygiene products just months after departing California.
Trump, after years of beefing with electromagnetic launchers on aircraft carriers, directed the adoption of steam catapults and hydraulic lifts, namely for the future USS Doris Miller. (Trump in his first term said the Navy should revert to "goddamn steam.")
He also directed a comprehensive review of Naval Sea Systems Command, whose leader, Vice Adm. James Downey, just retired, as well as planning for a potential fifth stateside shipyard. The Office of Management and Budget teased another public yard this summer.
The USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, was without power for days, knocking out air conditioning, toilets and showers, according to USNI News. It was aided by the George Washington carrier strike group, which is expected to relieve the Lincoln in the near future. (The Navy told Axios it does not comment on movements for security reasons.)
And Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said he wanted to inspect warship conditions himself. A group of 50-plus House Democrats pressed the Navy in a separate letter dated Aug. 14.
What we're watching: Whether the Pentagon responds to congressional pressure on time — or at all.
The bottom line: These are matters of life and death and financial consequence.
- Sailors and Marines contend with unique stressors and pressures, and tearing up blueprints will cost billions and billions of dollars.
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