US sends Pacific aircraft carrier to cover Afghanistan withdrawal
The USS Ronald Reagan will divert to the Middle East as the USS Eisenhower heads home.
Logistical demands of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan have pushed the Pentagon to divert its only aircraft carrier strike group from the Pacific region to Middle Eastern waters, The Wall Street Journal reported today.
The USS Ronald Reagan will arrive in the Arabian Sea this summer and remain for up to four months, the Journal reported. It is not clear when another aircraft carrier will replace the Reagan in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Pentagon declined to confirm the deployment, citing operational security concerns.
The Reagan will take the place of the USS Eisenhower, which is set to return to port in Norfolk, Virginia, in July after two taxing deployments.
