WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iranian attacks "have upended the Navy's supply chain" in the Middle East, causing a strain on the aircraft carriers, destroyers and amphibious ships that are being kept in the region "indefinitely," The New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The U.S. Navy has only 11 aircraft carriers in total, and has sent four of them to the Middle East for the war, the report said, noting that some of the remaining carriers are "undergoing lengthy repairs" in shipyards and will not be able to deploy again for years.
There are currently two carriers and 12 destroyers in the Middle East helping to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports, according to the report. The Navy has about 20 ships in the Middle East, carrying roughly 20,000 sailors and Marines. "The logistical challenges are immense," the report said.
Recent reports on the replacement of the USS Abraham Lincoln have highlighted the extraordinary strain the prolonged U.S.-Iran war has placed on the aircraft carrier.
By late August, the Lincoln had been deployed for nearly nine months, including an extended period of operations in the Middle East. Reports described shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deck safety concerns, mail disruptions and deteriorating mental health among crew members.
The Lincoln's unusually long deployment was partly driven by the lack of safe access to logistics hubs and ports in the Middle East after attacks from Iran. Damage to the U.S. Navy's logistics infrastructure in Bahrain at the outset of the war on Feb. 28 made normal resupply and maintenance more difficult.
The NYT report added that other ports in the region that can accommodate an aircraft carrier or a supply ship are "also within range of Iranian missiles and drones, making them inaccessible." ■