Overview
- The carrier, USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., Carrier Air Wing 9 and Destroyer Squadron 21 arrived at Naval Base Guam on Sept. 19, 2026 for a short logistics stop that is the strike group’s first return to U.S. soil in about nine months.
- The deployment ran roughly 302–303 days with about seven months of operations in the U.S. Central Command area after the ship’s original Indo‑Pacific cruise was redirected to support operations related to the Iran conflict.
- Family members and reporting documented habitability and supply problems on board, including moldy showers, delayed mail, and reports of scarce toiletries and limited fresh food, while Navy spokespeople said ships occasionally ran low on some items but had adequate supplies to sustain operations.
- Damage to Naval Support Activity Bahrain forced resupply through more distant hubs such as Diego Garcia and Singapore, Navy officials and reporting say, a logistics disruption that contributed to extended at‑sea periods and operational strain.
- The stop in Guam puts a spotlight on broader policy moves: Navy leaders are planning longer rotations, the Pentagon has requested billions in supplemental funding to rebuild logistics capacity, and lawmakers are pressing for oversight and reviews as some escorts remain deployed in the Arabian Sea.