PNN – Media reports have revealed how Iran’s destruction of coastal infrastructure at the U.S. base in Bahrain managed to damage the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and diminish its combat endurance.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing Defense Security Asia, Iranian attacks—which severely damaged the Naval Support Activity Bahrain (the U.S. Navy’s primary logistics hub in the country)—forced the U.S. Navy to relocate its main regional logistics hub from Bahrain to Diego Garcia. This shift transformed a relatively short Persian Gulf support network into a vulnerable 2,200-mile maritime supply chain.
Regarding Iran’s massive retaliatory strike on the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain, this news site added: While the war’s progression saw the continued operation of U.S. aircraft carriers and the naval blockade of Iranian ports, reported shortages aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln demonstrate how the destruction of shore-based infrastructure (at the U.S. base in Bahrain by Iran) can gradually degrade a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s combat endurance without the need for a direct attack on the vessel itself.
Previously, retired Admiral Mike Mullen, the former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern to ABC News regarding the situation aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln—which had been at sea for over 260 days—noting that the ship’s commander, Daniel Keeler, was working hard to address these issues.
He added that the challenges facing the vessel reflect a complex situation that cannot be interpreted through a single narrative.
Mullen attributed the aircraft carrier’s prolonged deployment to a lack of secure bases in West Asia, noting that U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE had been targeted by Iran during the conflict, thereby forcing U.S. forces to remain at sea for extended periods.
Meanwhile, a former U.S. Navy officer had previously stated that the extended deployment of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln at sea would gradually erode its operational readiness and capabilities.
Harlan Ullman, a former U.S. Navy officer, remarked that the prolonged deployment of the Abraham Lincoln places immense strain on the crew and impacts their morale.