According to an August 15 report by US AP, the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington has departed the Pacific Ocean region and is heading to the Middle East. While the "absence of a US aircraft carrier" in the Pacific will not be permanent, the impact on US allies, especially psychologically, is considered significant, given China's movements. French media RFI reported this.

The USS George Washington is expected to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Middle East. The current situation indicates that the Trump administration's military actions against Iran are putting significant pressure on the US aircraft carrier fleet. At the same time, it is highly noteworthy that China is showing an increasingly assertive stance and frequently engaging in provocative actions in the Indo-Pacific region.

The background for the USS Washington leaving Asia for the Middle East to relieve the USS Lincoln is that the Lincoln has been deployed for an excessively long period. There are reports of mental health issues among crew members and supply problems within the carrier. The Lincoln was originally scheduled to return in May, but its deployment at sea had to be significantly extended to continue supporting military actions against Iran.

If another US aircraft carrier is deployed to the Pacific within the next few months, the phase of the region being without a US aircraft carrier may not last long. However, informed sources point out that the protracted military actions between the US and Iran are exhausting US Navy personnel. This also indicates that the Trump administration is further reducing its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region and focusing more attention on the Western Hemisphere.

Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Project at the US Center for Strategic and International Studies, pointed out, "The [US] government has always said that the Pacific, excluding the Western Hemisphere, is the most important region," and "The United States is taking actions that are completely contrary to its previous goals." Poling further commented, "To Asia-Pacific allies, the US appears unpredictable. The Chinese government is pleased with a situation where the US is distracted by other regions."

Chinese authorities consider the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region a threat to China's rise and an obstacle to achieving its goal of seizing Taiwan. On the other hand, the US has emphasized that the importance of the Pacific region will not be lost from an economic perspective.

Brian Clark, a defense analyst at the US Hudson Institute, stated, "No one thinks China will immediately invade Taiwan due to the departure of the US aircraft carrier," but then expressed the view that the absence of a US aircraft carrier has given China an excellent opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities. China hopes to use this situation to make countries like the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia realize that "the US is no longer the strongest power in the West Pacific region, and the US can no longer guarantee their security."

China is showing an increasingly assertive stance towards Japan and the Philippines. Both countries are important US allies and both have territorial disputes with China. This month, China conducted military exercises near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, and in July, one Chinese missile destroyer conducted live-fire exercises in the waters around Okinotorishima, Japan's southernmost island.

General Frank Bradley, commander of US Special Operations Command, stated that the US has sought to assure its Asia-Pacific allies that it will not abandon the region. General Bradley met with Philippine government officials in Manila and explained that special operations forces are prepared to enhance joint military exercises to further strengthen the alliance between the two countries. General Bradley is also scheduled to visit Japan.

Evan Sankey, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, which studies US policy towards China, pointed out that "aircraft carriers can provide important psychological reassurance to US allies." Sankey stated that the reality of the absence of US aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific region has further solidified the impression that the US is bogged down in the Middle East situation.

Meanwhile, Michael Swaine of the Quincy Institute questioned the necessity of continuing to rely heavily on aircraft carriers. As the nature of warfare changes rapidly, Swaine pointed out that when facing an adversary like China, aircraft carriers are becoming increasingly vulnerable targets for drones and missiles. For attacking targets, smaller warships and submarines can perform similar roles, and there may be no need to rely on large aircraft carriers. Even senior US Navy officials have already expressed this; for example, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle stated in February 2026 that he wants to persuade military commanders to use more smaller, newer warships and other military resources instead of always relying on massive aircraft carriers. (Translation and editing/Hayato Kisaragi)