Episode Notes:

Steve is joined by co-host Jay to launch a new monthly segment modeled on the smoke deck or smoke pit, the enlisted gathering spot where sailors trade unfiltered takes on what's really going on in the fleet. This month, they dig into the strain of extended carrier deployments, from the USS Abraham Lincoln's long stretch without a port call to the unusual move of pulling a Japan-based carrier into the Middle East. In this episode, they weigh the human cost on sailors against the strategic pressures shaping where the Navy sends its ships, and what it all signals about readiness for a bigger fight ahead.

Image: NAVCENT Public Affairs via Wikimedia Commons