A new carrier strike group is heading to the Middle East, as reports of supply and mental health issues grow aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, now in a record-setting stretch at sea. The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran and has now spent more than 260 straight days at sea without a port call.
The carrier originally deployed from San Diego on Nov. 21 and arrived in the Middle East in January, before the war started on Feb. 28, according to The Associated Press.
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Reports of strain aboard
The extended deployment has raised concerns about the toll on sailors and the strain on the ship and its equipment. In recent months, there have been reports of food shortages, water and plumbing problems and mental health concerns on board.
The Navy has acknowledged the war disrupted traditional supply hubs, leading to shortages, but says sailors now have access to clean water and healthy meal options.
The USS George Washington is heading west after a port visit in Da Nang, Vietnam, and is expected to replace the Lincoln in the Middle East. Its departure could leave the Pacific without a U.S. aircraft carrier for an unknown period.
Democrats want answers
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon about conditions aboard the Lincoln, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says recent reports are “completely misrepresented.”
California Rep. Mike Levin is among those who sent letters to Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao demanding an explanation.
“I want to be clear that I don’t expect for an aircraft carrier to be the Holiday Inn, right? I don’t expect for it to be a luxury lifestyle,” Levin said. “Our Marines and our sailors, they are the best of the best. They sign up for hard duty. But we also should expect basic habitability. We should expect running water and clean drinking water, enough food to eat, working plumbing, the basics.”
Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, also sent a letter to Hegseth and Cao on Wednesday, demanding answers about conditions on board the ship and how the Navy is supporting sailors’ mental health during the extended deployment.
Hegseth, Navy push back
Hegseth pushed back again Thursday in an interview with Newsmax, saying “some deployments are longer than others” and insisting the Pentagon makes sure every ship and crew has everything they need.
“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said. “Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody.”
And in a statement to ABC News, a Navy official said the Lincoln has not seen a recent rise in mental health issues and has “not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship.” It did, however, acknowledge that sailors are strained.
“We know that extended deployments place a significant strain on our service members and their families, and we are grateful for the resilience and sacrifices they make in support of our nation’s security,” the statement said.
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