USS George Washington (CVN-73) entered the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on August 19, 2026, after transiting the Arabian Sea, the combatant command announced on its X social-media account. The carrier was accompanied by cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62) and destroyer USS Shoup (DDG-86). The ship had transited the Arabian Sea on Thursday, according to the CENTCOM post. It is not clear how close the George Washington Carrier Strike Group is to the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, and a Navy official said the timing of USS Abraham Lincoln’s return to the U.S. West Coast is undetermined, potentially taking a month or longer. The Abraham Lincoln CSG has been deployed for 272 days, the longest continuous at-sea period since the early COVID-19 pandemic, and had gone 252 days without a port call, a record for the current deployment. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced via social media that Abraham Lincoln would head home shortly. The George Washington CSG may serve as a bridge between the Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Groups, with the latter currently based in San Diego after participating in Rim of the Pacific 2026. The group could also operate alongside USS George H.W. Bush, its escorts, the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker. It remains unclear whether destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) will rejoin the George Washington strike group in the Arabian Sea after a four-day loss of power in late July that required towing to Subic Bay, Philippines for repairs and a subsequent port call in Yokosuka, Japan.