By Carla Babb | Thursday, 27 August 2026 08:00 PM EDT
The Chief of Naval Operations is warning that a larger Navy is needed to keep pressure on China amid military operations against Iran, as sailors aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt prepare for an extended deployment to the Middle East.
“We’re short on carriers in Pacific Command because we keep moving them into Central Command,” Adm. Daryl Caudle told a small group of reporters Wednesday in Norfolk, Virginia.
The ongoing Middle East conflict comes as the Navy still aims to expand its operations in the Pacific to meet what Caudle called the “pacing threat” of China.
“The Pacific by its very nature of its size just mathematically requires more force,” Caudle said.
For years, U.S. defense officials have planned for the possibility of simultaneous conflicts, including a Chinese attack in the Pacific or a Russian attack on NATO allies in Europe.
China has threatened to take control of Taiwan by force if necessary and frequently makes sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea that run counter to international law and fuel persistent disputes with several nations. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has continued its war against the country for more than four years.
Asked by Newsmax whether the Navy could sustain military operations in a two-front war, Caudle said it would be “hard to say” without knowing the exact circumstances.
“If the one front was very Air Force- and Army-focused, then certainly the Navy could support the two-front war because I’m predominantly in one place and not so much in another, and I would have the force,” he said.
“But make no mistake about it. [The answer] to your root question is I need a bigger Navy. There is no question,” he added.
Competing demands on the fleet have contributed to extended carrier deployments as the Navy accommodates the war in the Middle East and other military operations.
“We’ve been in conflict pretty much the whole time I’ve been in the seat, and that’s certainly stressed the force,” Caudle told reporters.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford completed a 326-day deployment in May, the longest since the Cold War, after conducting operations in the Caribbean and supporting the war against Iran.
Sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier are now heading home to San Diego months after their deployment extended far beyond their original May return date. The crew spent more than 250 consecutive days at sea without a port call because of war operations, while sailors faced supply shortages, broken plumbing and declining morale, prompting concerns from family members. At least one sailor made a suicide attempt by jumping overboard.
As a result, Caudle said the service is adjusting pre-deployment stocking and resupply plans while looking at different places to make port calls, including in Africa and India.
The U.S. has maintained a continuous carrier presence in the Arabian Sea since Feb. 28, striking targets inside Iran and enforcing a naval blockade restricting ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
When the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt leaves San Diego in the coming weeks, the strike group is expected to move to the Middle East to relieve the Japan-based USS George Washington carrier, which entered the region last week.
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman said families of Roosevelt sailors are already planning for their loved ones to be away from home for more than seven months, with the commanding officer planning for an eight-month deployment.
Carla Babb is Newsmax’s National Security Correspondent.
