Navy Tells Sailors to Expect 10- to 11-Month Deployments for at Least the Next Couple of Years as the Iran War Strains the Fleet
The Navy's top enlisted sailor says the decision to keep ships out longer was made above the service. A defense analyst calls it a feature of a Navy that is too small.
Sailors should plan on much longer deployments for the foreseeable future, the Daily Caller reports, citing USNI News.
The change. The Navy is warning that deployments of 10 to 11 months will be standard for at least the next couple of years, instead of the traditional seven-month rotation, as Middle East operations tied to the Iran war continue to strain the fleet. The Daily Caller says deployments began running past 11 months after the U.S. entered the war with Iran.
Who decided. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman told USNI News, "The decision to extend our ships longer is a decision above the Navy." He added, "The president has a different calculus than we do, and so [the Pentagon makes] the decisions that they have to make, and then we support those decisions."
The criticism. Defense analyst Brent Sadler wrote on X that it is "a feature of a too small Navy in a too dangerous world," that this "was predictable decade plus ago," and that deployments should return to a nominal six months.
Note for readers: the Daily Caller says the Navy did not immediately respond to its request for comment. The report rests on USNI News's interview and one analyst's post, and it gives no figures on readiness or retention.