The USS Theodore Roosevelt arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on October 16, 2026. The Roosevelt departed the base on Tuesday after a few days’ shore leave for her crew. (US Navy/Mass Communication Spc. 1st Class Hannah Fry)

The USS Theodore Roosevelt Hasn’t Arrived in the Middle East Yet. Here’s Why.

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The San Diego-based aircraft carrier unexpectedly stopped in Japan last week—possibly because the Navy expects its crew will not get any more shore leave for a while.

It has been more than three weeks since the United States Navy’s Nimitz-class supercarrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), departed from Naval Base San Diego, California. At the time, it was reported the warship was heading to the Middle East, where two other aircraft carriers are still operating: the Virginia-based USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the 10th and final Nimitz-class flattop, and the US Navy’s only forward-deployed supercarrier, the Yokosuka, Japan-based USS George Washington (CVN-73). The latter nuclear-powered aircraft carrier had been operating in the South China Sea when it was dispatched to the Arabian Sea to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) this past summer.

The unexpected deployment of CVN-73 has left the United........

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