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 answers that question, with the 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.

The Navy is experiencing serious operational shortfalls due to running its fleet of ten aircraft…

This is one carrier short of the 11 carrier fleet that is mandated by Congress. The shortfall i the better part of a

The Navy’s first new class of aircraft carriers in almost 50 years has had its share of…

The other carriers shown at sea are executing various tasks. The USS George Washington The. Finally, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS John C. Stennis are conduct training operations near their home ports of Norfolk and San Diego.

On Tuesday, a pair of Tu-142 Bears made their way toward the USS Ronald Reagan while the carrier…

Pictured below, the USS George Washington transits the Straits of Megellan:

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Photos via US Navy