Overview
- The carrier USS George Washington was moved from the Western Pacific to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had an extended deployment and reported morale and supply strains.
- Reports say the Abraham Lincoln spent prolonged time at sea and prompted questions from Democratic lawmakers about crew welfare and shipboard conditions.
- Jared Kushner met with Hamas leader Khalil al‑Hayya in Egypt to push President Trump’s 15‑point Gaza roadmap, with Hamas insisting on Israeli operational pauses and Israel’s leader rejecting the plan.
- A Mecca defence pact signed by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan treats an attack on one as an attack on all; President Trump publicly endorsed the agreement and India says it is assessing the pact’s regional implications.
- Allied concern in the Western Pacific has risen because the temporary absence of a forward U.S. carrier coincides with Chinese naval drills and ongoing U.S. carrier maintenance backlogs that limit surge capacity.