Where in the World Are Our USO Ship Centers and How Do They Support Deployed Service Members?

By Trey Smith and Danielle DeSimone

A U.S. Navy Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier may look large, but after nine months in a combat zone with approximately 6,000 people onboard, it can feel incredibly small.

But this isn’t the only challenge faced by the sailors, aviators and Marines on deployment – they also must spend nearly a year apart from loved ones with extremely limited ways to contact them, all while navigating the repetitive and often stressful routine of their daily duties.

Sometimes, after being surrounded by walls of grey metal and the sound of jet engines for 9 months straight, you just want to go someplace quiet, someplace relaxing, someplace where you can recharge, have a little fun and connect with the people and activities you love.

That’s why the USO has begun building USO Centers on U.S. Navy ships.

Deployment can be difficult for the people who serve in our Armed Forces, but a Navy deployment out at sea has its own unique set of challenges – and the USO is determined to help these individuals weather the storm.

Learn more about the six – and counting – ship-based USO Centers around the world, and how they are supporting deployed service members at sea.

The USO Center aboard the USS George H. W. Bush

Though the USS George H.W. Bush is currently stationed in its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, it spent much of 2022 and 2023 deployed, with sailors providing support in the Europe and Africa regions, as well as completing port visits in Croatia, Italy, France and Greece.

Throughout the long deployment, the Navy placed significant emphasis on sailor’s health and well-being. Not only did sailors aboard the ship have access to chaplain support and a resiliency counselor and educator, but they also received support from the USO at several points in their deployment. While in Souda Bay, Crete, USO team members visited the ship and delivered meals to watchstanders during their port of call, adding to the ship’s overall resiliency plan.

Sailors also received a visit from country music artist Blanco Brown during their final weeks out at sea. Thanks to USO Entertainment, sailors got to enjoy a live concert and sing and dance alongside the famous artist, which was much appreciated after months at sea. And when sailors returned home in April 2023, the USO was present as well with our Mobile USO vehicles and an area for military families to create “welcome home” signs.

Then, the USO became a permanent fixture for service members aboard the USS Geoge H.W. Bush in June 2023, when it became home to the first ship-based USO Center in the world. Thousands of sailors and military personnel aboard the ship now had a Center - the first USO Center aboard a U.S. Navy ship - to call their own, which was funded by the generosity of Marilyn Cohen, CEO of Envision Capital Management and a member of the USO Board of Governors. Cohen also funded the USO Center aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and is funding an additional ship-based Center opening in late 2024.

While deployments through the Mediterranean might sound manageable, maintaining the stability of the region – especially with current events – is in fact a crucial and high-pressure task. Additionally, sailors spend most of their time on-ship, largely focused on their jobs. This can result in them feeling as if they have little time for themselves and their own interests, which can negatively affect their mental health.

As our first ship-based Center, the USO kept our service members’ mental well-being front-of-mind when building the USO Center aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, outfitting the room with TVs, a library and video and board games. These activities can provide service members with a way to connect and bond with each other outside of their everyday jobs, which can often be stressful and tiring. Studies show that video games alone can promote team building among service members, a skill that is crucial for their day-to-day morale and military readiness.

The USO Center aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

On October 14, 2023, just days after the beginning of the Israel Hamas war, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike carrier group deployed to the Middle East, the Red Sea and the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Throughout most of their 9 months out at sea, the crew aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were defending commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. This is the most intense combat the U.S. Navy has faced since World War II.

Aside from defending international trade ships and U.S. Navy ships – from both air and sea – against missile attacks, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower also rescued 25 mariners from two different vessels whose ships were hit by missiles.

Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, commander of Carrier Strike Group 2, explained that the people serving aboard this aircraft carrier and the other ships in the strike group had to learn to compartmentalize the stress of being in a combat zone in order to stay focused on their jobs.

However, being under a constant state of attack can take its toll on service members. Research shows that combat stress can lead to many mental health challenges – which is why having support throughout this deployment was crucial.

In addition to the resources provided by the U.S. Navy, the sailors, aviators and Marines aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower could also turn to the USO Center aboard the aircraft carrier for this support.

According to the World Health Organization, having a safe, supportive environment can cause people to experience less anxiety and depression, improve their physical health, have fewer instances of substance abuse and experience an overall improved quality of life and life expectancy. That’s why having spaces such as a USO Center in front-line locations can make such a positive difference in the daily routines of the people serving on deployment.

Inside this USO Center on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, service members could enjoy a relaxing, home-like atmosphere outfitted with comfortable couches, TVs, gaming stations, a library, Wi-Fi and a phone to call home with. The NFL partnered with the USO to fund the construction of this USO Center, and the league’s influence is evident in the design of the space, which is outfitted with special touches like flooring designed like a football field.

These ship-based Centers are specifically designed to look different from the rest of the aircraft carrier to provide a comfortable and cozy environment for service members to spend time alone or with each other. In combat zones like the Middle East region, this USO Center provided a safe haven for service members on the front lines who simply needed a place to think about anything other than the fact that they were deployed.

With the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower expected to return home the weekend of July 12-14, 2024, the USO will be pier-side with their families to welcome them home after a truly challenging deployment.

The USO Center aboard the USS George Washington

In the spring of 2024, the USS George Washington deployed for the first time in nearly a decade. On this deployment, known as Southern Seas 2024, sailors visited countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, to maintain the country’s commitment to the South American region. The ship is heading to its new homeport of Japan soon, but support of the sailors – particularly of their mental well-being – is as important during their time in port as it is on deployment.

In 2022, 11 sailors aboard the USS George Washington died by suicide, and with suicides increasing overall in the U.S. military, as well as a recent increase specifically in suicides from U.S. Navy sailors aboard ships, the military took immediate action by providing several services that support sailors and their well-being while they experience long deployments on ships, including ship-based USO Centers.

These USO Centers are open while ashore and at sea and are outfitted with many of the same fittings as a brick-and-mortar land-based USO Center, such as comfortable seating, TVs, video and board games and snacks. Most importantly, these ship-based Centers provide phones for sailors to communicate with loved ones back home, helping boost morale and their mental health.

Long deployments, especially at sea for several months at a time, as well as long periods of maintenance in the shipyard can feel lonely and monotonous. Having a place where you can not only connect to home but also get away and have time for yourself can make all the difference in the lives of the people who serve aboard these ships.

The USO Center aboard the USS Mount Whitney

The USS Mount Whitney is one of two Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ships of the U.S. Navy. In December 2023, the USS Mount Whitney returned to its homeport of Gaeta, Italy, after deploying in October in support of U.S. operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea amidst the escalation of the Israel Hamas war that same month. During the two-month deployment, sailors also made port visits to Cyprus, Crete and Greece.

The USS Mount Whitney is unique in size, as it is far smaller than other Navy ships that the USO has built Centers on, such as aircraft carriers. But as the command ship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet, the readiness of the USS Mount Whitney crew of approximately 300 sailors and other military personnel is critical.

Not only are these service members away from family and friends during deployments, but they are also dealing with much more limited space and resources than many other sailors aboard other, larger Navy ships. In 2023, the USO recognized this and took action, opening up a Center aboard to support the men and women who call the USS Mount Whitney home.

Despite the challenges of a small space, the USO Center aboard the USS Mount Whitney is still outfitted with everything from TVs and gaming equipment to furnishings and comfortable couches that sailors can quite literally stretch their legs on and unwind. Having this unique space set aside from all the cramped quarters can be beneficial to service members and their everyday livelihoods while at sea, especially as they deal with heightened tensions around the region.

The USO Center aboard the USS Ronald Reagan

After spending nearly 9 years as the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan is finally coming home. For the past several years, the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been based out of Yokosuka, Japan, running most of its operations in the Indo-Pacific region. Here, the USS Ronald Reagan provided support to allies and ensured free and open seas in a region with increasing tensions. The aircraft carrier also provided crucial air support during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

However, much of the USS Ronald Reagan’s area of responsibility and operations was focused on the Indo-Pacific region. With permanent U.S. military installations located in Japan, South Korea, Guam and Hawaii – and a massive area of responsibility that includes 36 countries, five nuclear-armed nations, eight of the world’s ten largest militaries, five of our nation’s seven mutual defense treaty allies and major international waterways – operating in this region is no small feat. Recent escalation of tensions with China, North Korea and Russia have made things even more challenging for the American service members stationed here, and so the U.S.’ military posture in the Pacific through the USS Ronald Reagan has been crucial to enhancing stability and ensuring peace and democracy throughout Asia.

Operating in such a high-pressure region, especially when so far from home, can be stressful for the people serving aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. This is why it is crucial they receive support – including when they are out at sea.

In April 2024, the USO opened another ship-based USO Center aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. The Center included a renovated movie theater, a new library, internet access, computers, gaming systems and much more. Most importantly, it has provided service members with a comfortable space to turn to when they need to relax and take a break from the daily stressors of deployment.

As the USS Ronald Reagan is currently en route to California, back in U.S. waters for the first time in nearly a decade, future generations of sailors can rest easy knowing that no matter where the ship goes next, the USO will always be by their side.

The USO Center aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

The sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier started 2024 off by maintaining the safety of our coastlines, conducting routine operations in the 3rd Fleet’s area of responsibility, which is about 50 million square miles in the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean.

This area includes most of the country’s West Coast and during operations, U.S. service members experienced tense situations such as the sighting and tracking of multiple Chinese warships right off the coast of Alaska or Russian warships near California.

Then, on July 11, 2024, the USS Abraham Lincoln left on deployment to the Pacific Ocean, with thousands of service members aboard who will now be apart from home and their loved ones for nine months or more, with limited ways to stay in touch.

Knowing that a deployment was imminent, in early July 2024, the USO opened another ship-based Center in support of service members of the USS Abraham Lincoln and their upcoming deployment. This Center was also made possible by the generosity of Marilyn Cohen, CEO of Envision Capital Management and a member of the USO Board of Governors, who also funded the construction of the USS George H.W. Bush’s USO Center.

Since these Centers are opened ashore just as they are at sea, sailors could stop by before their embarkment and check out the space that they can now call their “home away from home” while out at sea. Service members now aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln can rest easy knowing that they can take advantage of the comforts and amenities seen at many of our other Centers, from video games, a library and internet connectivity, to a sound-proof phone booth where service members can have privacy while calling loved ones back home.

The USO kept the USS Abraham Lincoln’s upcoming deployment in mind at every step of designing this recently opened ship-based Center.

As we look ahead to the future, there are many more ship-based USO Centers on the horizon. Regardless of where the people serving in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are stationed or deployed, whether they be on solid ground or out at sea, the USO will always be by their side.