US aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford is pictured docked at Souda Bay in the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete, on February 24, 2026. Photo: VCG

　　As the US is sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to support potential military strike against Iran, media reports suggested that the extended eight-month deployment and blocked toilets are causing issues to the warship and its sailors, with the vessel making a stop in Greece on Tuesday. A Chinese military affairs expert said on Wednesday that it exposes that extended deployments beyond scheduled limits, combined with crew members’ failure to use the toilet system in accordance with operating procedures, have seriously undermined combat effectiveness.

　　The US side’s decision to extend for a second time the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is taking a toll on the ship’s sailors and their families, and leading some to consider leaving the Navy when they return to home port, the WSJ reported on Saturday, citing interviews with sailors on board the ship and their family members back home.

　　A US Navy official said that the Ford’s sewage system, which uses vacuum technology to transport waste from roughly 650 toilets on board, has experienced issues during the deployment, averaging about one maintenance call a day, the WSJ reported.

　　According to the WSJ report, the Ford has been at sea since last June. In October, the Pentagon rerouted the ship from its scheduled Mediterranean mission to the Caribbean to support missions including the operation to forcibly seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January. Then the crew got word that their deployment would be extended again, taking them back across the Atlantic Ocean to the Middle East to support potential American airstrikes on Iran.