During a time of crisis, it is often said that the first question asked by the President and other key decision makers in Washington is “where are the carriers?” This map posted over on Reddit answers that question, with the USS Harry S. Truman leaving port today for the Middle East via the Mediterranean.
Click the expand button to see a much larger version of that.
As you can see, the U.S. has no carrier in the Middle East, with the USS Theodore Roosevelt heading home while the USS Harry S. Truman prepares to take its place. This situation has become quite controversial, as the U.S. Navy struggles to fulfill demands placed upon it with a 10 carrier fleet.
This is one carrier short of the 11 carrier fleet that is mandated by Congress. The shortfall is due to the retirement of the USS Enterprise the better part of a decade before the USS Gerald R. Ford is fully operational.
The other carriers shown at sea are executing various tasks. The USS George Washington is circumnavigating South America after its carrier-swap with the USS Ronald Reagan. The USS Ronald Reagan is operating around its new home port of Japan. Finally, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS John C. Stennis are conduct training operations near their home ports of Norfolk and San Diego.
Pictured below, the USS George Washington transits the Straits of Megellan:
Contact the author Tyler@Jalopnik.com
Photos via US Navy