"The Siege" on the Aircraft Carrier - and Trump's Change: "Like in World War II"

The Iranian missile and drone attack on the US Navy base in Bahrain on the first day of the war disabled a vital logistics center, forced the Pentagon to move the supply chain to a remote island in the Indian Ocean, and exacerbated the distress aboard the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" - this was reported last night, Friday, in the "New York Times". At the same time, the "Washington Post" reported that the US Navy is considering multi-billion dollar changes to the design of future aircraft carriers to align them with the aesthetic preferences of President Donald Trump.

According to the "Times" report, the supply problems of the "Lincoln" began on the very first day of the war, when Iranian missiles and drones hit the US Navy base in Bahrain and destroyed large parts of it. The base had served for decades as a central logistics hub for the Navy, helping to transport food, fuel, ammunition, and equipment to forces that carried out strikes against Iran and subsequently enforced the blockade on its ports.

Following the attack, and due to fears of further strikes on ports in the region, the Pentagon was forced to turn the Diego Garcia base, which is under British command, into the alternative supply center. However, the island is located about 3,500 kilometers from the area of operations of the two carrier strike groups in the Gulf of Oman. According to a US military official, the move was carried out shortly after the base in Bahrain was severely damaged.

The then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, initially refused to allow the US to use Diego Garcia in an operation against Iran. After he drew the ire of Donald Trump, he reversed his decision, and in March granted the US military access to the island for what he defined as a "specific and limited defensive purpose". The use of Diego Garcia may also explain why Iran launched two medium-range ballistic missiles toward the island on March 20. One of them fell into the Indian Ocean before reaching its target, and the second was intercepted by a US Navy ship.

The impact on the supply chain contributed, according to the report, to a shortage of basic equipment and a deterioration in the mental state of the crew members on the "Lincoln". The aircraft carrier has been deployed for nearly nine months. According to the "Post", its personnel spent about 200 consecutive days without docking at a port, which would have allowed them to rest. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal reached out to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth following reports about the conditions on the ship, while the sailors' families expressed concern about the consequences of the prolonged deployment.

Donald Trump dismissed the concerns. "This ship is leaving now, or will leave very soon, and is being replaced by another, very similar ship," he said on Friday. When asked if the duration of the deployment was too long, he replied: "No, no, no. Not nearly enough time." The "Lincoln" is expected to be replaced in the coming weeks by the aircraft carrier "George Washington", which is making its way from the Far East to the Middle East. Democratic Congressman Mike Levin, in whose district live the families of sailors serving on the "Lincoln", said: "It brings us back to the big picture, which is: what is the mission here? That is what the families want to know."

Trump's "Aesthetic" Change

Meanwhile, the "Washington Post" revealed that just as the aircraft carrier fleet is suffering from a heavy load, the Navy is considering a significant change in the design of "Ford"-class aircraft carriers, in accordance with the aesthetic preferences of Donald Trump. According to seven US officials, the president wants the new ships to look more like aircraft carriers from the World War II era.

The move being examined includes moving the command tower, known as the "island", from the stern of the ship toward its center. A review conducted during the first Trump administration found that the change could cost billions of dollars and significantly delay the construction of the ships. "The conclusion was that the cost and time required for this would be simply extraordinary," said a former senior US official. Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer, warned: "You can change it, but it would be a very significant disruption."

Moving the command tower to the stern of the new aircraft carriers was originally intended to improve efficiency and safety, to clear space for aircraft near the launch systems, and to reduce turbulence during landing. Despite this, Donald Trump ordered the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of the Navy, to submit within 60 days a plan to replace the electromagnetic aircraft launch system and the advanced weapons elevators with steam and hydraulic systems on the aircraft carrier CVN-81, which is under construction. The presidential memorandum emphasized the administration's preference for "proven, reliable, and affordable ship technologies and designs."