‘Unsustainable and unaffordable:’ USS George H.W. Bush families confront Navy leaders over Iran mission
At a combative November 9, 2026 town hall at Naval Station Norfolk, Navy leaders told some 500 family members of the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group — the second extension since it left Norfolk on March 31, 2026 — that their sailors would not be home for the holidays and should plan for a worst-case yearlong deployment, as Iranian attacks continue to "pepper" U.S. ships enforcing the blockade of Iran. Families yelled about the "runaround," mental health care and shipboard conditions, and while Acting Secretary Hung Cao conceded mental health resources are lacking, he offered no timeline for bringing the crew home.
