The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and three other ships are returning to American ports after a seven-month deployment, which will temporarily leave the U.S. without an aircraft carrier in the Middle East.
The Navy announced Wednesday the four warships are heading back to bases in Norfolk, Va. and Mayport, Fla. The replacement carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, completed its deployment certification training last week.
That process was pushed back because of maintenance yard delays in Norfolk, stemming from repairs it underwent starting in 2015.
The six-month repair process ended up stretching to 13 months, Defense News notes. The website reports that the gap could last two months, and the George H.W. Bush — which is still in Norfolk — likely will not be in place before President-elect Donald Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.
The military is dealing with the absence of a carrier in the Middle Eastern theater by bolstering its Air Force presence.