In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, front, and the landing ship USS Carter Hall travel through the Red Sea on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. | Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley Gasdia/U.S. Navy
Politico: As the Middle East heats up, the Navy struggles to deploy replacement ships
Delays are emblematic of a wider issue with repair and maintenance in the Navy that has seen warships languish pierside for months after they had been scheduled to leave.
A group of warships led by the USS Bataan has done it all over the past six months.
From warning off Iranian ships in the Persian Gulf to patrolling the Red Sea to filling in for an aircraft carrier off the Israeli coast, the workhorse amphibious ships Bataan and USS Carter Hall and their force of 2,000 Marines have been at the center of the action in a volatile Middle East.
Yet the group is past the point that it should have started heading home for some much-needed rest, and is still on station because replacements are in short supply.
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WNU Editor: I am sure the US Navy can keep a necessary deployment of ships in the Middle East for as long as it takes. But there is going to be a heavy cost in resources, manpower, and monies.