US rushes new carrier to Middle East as sailors report burnout aboard USS Lincoln

US officials said that the carrier swap is part of a previously planned rotationThe United States is preparing to send the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, as mounting concerns over crew morale and conditions aboard the Lincoln have raised questions about the toll of its unusually long deployment.The USS Washington, which recently departed Da Nang in Vietnam and has since passed through the Singapore Strait and Strait of Malacca, is heading towards the Indian Ocean, according to US Navy statements and officials familiar with its movements. US officials told The Wall Street Journal that the carrier swap is part of a previously planned rotation, rather than a direct response to the concerns surrounding the Lincoln.The move comes as