From the streets of Washington, it would be hard to tell that a crisis is brewing over an American aircraft carrier — not in the Middle East but in northeast Asia. Far more important than the routine movement of U.S. carriers in the Middle East is the already much-delayed bilateral U.S.-South Korean naval exercise originally scheduled for early June and the question of whether the USS George Washington (CVN 73) will ultimately participate. The Washington put to sea from U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, on July 9 and is currently operating in the Pacific Ocean, but it is unclear whether it will take part in the joint naval exercise, whenever (if ever) it finally takes place.